Overasselt

History

The village was first mentioned in the 13th century as Asle, and means "upper open forest with ash (Fraxinus excelsior) trees". "Over" (upper) has been added to distinguish it from Nederasselt. Overasselt developed in the Early Middle Ages on a ridge. The village used to be concentrated around the former Dutch Reformed church. The former Dutch Reformed church was built in 1710 using material from its 15th-century predecessor. The Catholic St. Antonius Abt Church was built 1891. Near the village are the , a 15th-century Benedictine priory which used to belong to the Abbey of Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, France. Overasselt was a separate municipality until 1 July 1980, when it was merged with Heumen. A shootout occurred in Overasselt on September 1, 2026, when police came under fire after responding to reports of armed men wearing balaclavas approaching a house in the village at 4 a.m. A 51-year-old security guard was killed in the shooting, and two police officers were injured. Thirty-five people were arrested by Dutch police in the days following the shooting, including Dutch, Belgian, French, and Algerian nationals. The shootout is reportedly linked to the illegal drug trade.