Oss is the 36th largest city in the Netherlands, located in the province of Noord-Brabant.
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Oss has been inhabited since 2000 BC. The first reference to Oss was in a 1161 document. The Castle near Oss (Kasteel van Oss), which is one of the nearby landmarks, was built around 1375. The settlement got its city rights in 1399.
At the end of the nineteenth and the begin of the twentieth century the city suffered from high criminality rates, which, at the time, made the Dutch occasionally reference the city as the Dutch Chicago, which too had high criminality rates. The so-called Bende van Oss was feared throughout the whole country. The criminality rates of those times can only be found back in the terms messensteker and messentrekker , roughly translating to stabber, which are occasionally used to reference a citizen of Oss.
The in 1881 built railway made industry rise in Oss, as did the harbour built in 1968, which got connected to the Meuse (Maas) by the Burgemeester Delenkanaal (Mayor Delen-channel)
The easiest way to get to Oss by car is by using the A50 when coming from the north or south, the A59 when coming from the west, or the A2/E25 when coming from the north-west. When using the A50 or A59, use exit 53 (Knooppunt Paalgraven / Oss-Oost). When using the A2, switch onto the A59 at Knooppunt Hintham, located near ‘s-Hertogenbosh. From here on, follow signs directing to Oss.
Oss is located on the line between ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Nijmegen. Travel to one of the two above named cities, and take a train in the direction of the other city. Halfway down the track you will come by the stations Oss and Oss West. Oss is the station you’ll be most interested in if you want to stroll through the city centre. Oss West services several residential neighbourhoods in the west of the city.
Though Oss is rather large, the part interesting to tourists will be the city centre, which can be travelled by foot
- 1 [dead link]The Water tower, Watertorenstraat 1A. Commonly referred to as the sigaar van Oss (cigar of Oss). It is used as a mosque. (updated Aug 2016)
- 1 Oss Castle (near the Gelderse Poort shopping centre). The remains of the 14th century Kasteel van Oss. (updated Aug 2016)
- 1 Vorstengraf. A reconstruction of a monarch’s grave dating back to the seventh century BC. The hill on which the grave is located, can be found near the A50, where the Brierstraat and Vorstengraflaan meet. (updated Aug 2016)
- The Nieuwe Kerk. A neo-Gothic styled church built in 1859 (updated Aug 2016)
- 1 Stellingmolen Zeldenrust, Kruisstraat 39. This windmill was built in 1860 and was restored to former glory in the 1970s. Visitors are welcome on Saturday mornings between 9.00 and 12.30h. (updated Aug 2016)
- 1 Stellingmolen Nieuw Leven. Built in 1895. (updated Aug 2016)
- 1 Villa Constance. A neoclassical residential villa, built in 1888. It currently is a museum (Museum Jan Cunen), named after the first archivist of Oss. (updated Aug 2016)
- The Willibrordusput (near the intersection of the Willibrorduslaan and the Munlaan). A well, first referenced in the fourteenth century, though it most likely is older than that. The current well, built in 1926 is located about 12 meters from the original location. (updated Aug 2016)
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