Editing Buren (section)

== History ==
The earliest known settlement of the region occurred as early as 772.<ref>Stenvert, R. et al. (2000). ''Monumenten in Nederland: Gelderland'', p. 124&ndash;127. Zwolle: Waanders Uitgevers. {{ISBN|90-400-9406-3}}</ref> [[Castle Buren]] was built by the Lords of Buren and was first mentioned in 1298. The town was granted [[City rights in the Netherlands|city rights]] in 1395 by Sir Alard IV of Buren which led to the construction of a defensive wall and a moat, significant portions of which still stand. In 1492, the region was promoted to a [[county]] (i.e. a territory ruled by a count), but had limited economic influence due to its geographic isolation. By 1574, the previously Catholic parish church of Saint-Lambert ({{langx|nl|Sint Lambertus}}) had become [[Calvinist]] [[Dutch Reformed Church|Reformed]] Protestant.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}
[[File:Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraaten (Amsterdam 1622-1666) - A winter landscape with activities on the ice near Castle Buren.jpg|thumb|175px|''A winter landscape with activities on the ice near Castle Buren.'' [[Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraaten]], between 1622 and 1666]]
The Castle eventually came into the possession of the [[House of Orange]], the royal family of the Netherlands. The Dutch royal family has been known to use the name [[van Buren (disambiguation)|van Buren]] as an alias to give themselves some degree of anonymity. [[William III of England]] obtained the title Buren. The Dutch royal family still use this as a title. The Castle was gradually demolished between 1804 and 1883. The eighth president of the United States, [[Martin Van Buren]], traced his ancestry to inhabitants of the town, who had taken the surname ''Van Buren'' after relocating to the Dutch colony of [[New Netherlands]] in what is now the state of [[New York (state)|New York]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2017}} In 1853, following the end of his presidency, Van Buren made a visit to the town while on a tour of Europe and reportedly met with several distant relatives.

The current municipality is the result of 2 mergers. On 1 January 1978, the municipalities of Beusichem, Zoelen and part of Buurmalsen were added to the existing municipality of Buren, that was formed in the mid-19th century. On 1 January 1999, Buren was enlarged with the addition of the municipalities of Lienden and Maurik.
[[File:20110924 40 Buren molen.jpg|175px|thumb|right|[[De Prins Van Oranje, Buren|''De Prins Van Oranje'']] windmill]]