Oijen is a village by the Meuse in the municipality of Oss, with a little over 1,100 inhabitants. Oijen used to be part of the province of Gelderland, as part of the Land van Maas en Waal area. In 1814 the Meuse was appointed as provincial border. Only then Oijen became part of Brabant. Oijen still has a ferry over the Meuse to Nieuwe Schans on the Gelderland side.
Oijen is situated in a bend of the Meuse. Upstream by the dyke you'll find the hamlet of Boveneind with its protestant church; downstream the hamlet of Benedeneind. In the floodplains, Ossekamp (east of the village and bordering the castle) has been designated as nature development area; it will be bought by the Natuurmonumenten foundation. This area will offer room for riparian forests, marshes and new river channels. De Hemelrijkse Waard (west of the village) will also be transformed into an area for nature and water storage. Together with the Alphense Waard to the west, this is a 235 hectare area.
One of the interesting sights in Oijen is the former Protestant church on the Boveneind, from 1810. It's a simple aisleless church with a pediment on the facade and a little tower. The church was renovated in 1998; it's no longer being used for religious purposes but is private property. It's a national monument. Another beautiful sight is the castle of Oijen.
The Polderhuis, on the Oijense Bovendijk 1, was built in 1854 as a joint project of the polder administration and the municipality. The facade features a gauge. It was used this way until 1919.
Take a look at the other group accommodations in North Brabant here
