Stad Munster Lodging House

Peperstraat, Aalten (no longer extant)

Stad Munster Lodging House was once an important rest stop for travellers and mail coaches. It stood in Peperstraat, situated between the former post office and ‘De Postiljon’, opposite Stegers. Following the municipal reorganisation of 1816, it briefly served as a courthouse (Rechthuis). In 1873, the building was completely destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt.

A Coaching Inn for the Diligence

In previous centuries, when the mail coach—or diligence—was the official mode of transport, ‘Logement Stad Munster’ (also known as ‘Hotel Wamelink’) functioned as a coaching inn for the diligence and a place of rest for weary travellers. Those embarking on a long journey who could afford it would board at Hotel Wamelink, after which the journey continued, jolting and bumping towards its destination. Those with less to spend put on their ‘steffels’ (boots) and undertook the journey on foot; a walk to Arnhem or Zutphen was no rarity in those days. People had the time. Stad Munster welcomed travellers of all kinds, such as a manufacturer from Armentières in France, a merchant from Stadlohn, and a clerk on foot from Oosterwijk. Three English factory workers from Manchester, Ashton, and Oldham once stayed there for two months.

The Wamelink Family

In 1823, Johanna Maria Martha Mensinck was registered at this address as the lodging house keeper. She was the widow of Gerrit Jan Wamelink, who had passed away in 1822. Johanna died in 1854. Their son, Lambertus Hermanus Wamelink, continued the business. In 1852, at the age of 39, he had married Johanna Catharina Heming. After her death in 1854, he remarried Wilhelmina Louisa Hendrina Meijrink in 1856.

Fire

On 2 April 1873, a violent thunderstorm broke out over Aalten. Labourers in the fields fled into barns and garden sheds. Thunder rolled incessantly and lightning filled the sky. Suddenly, a loud crack was heard, and shortly thereafter, everyone could hear the tolling of the fire bell in the church tower above the sound of the rain. A lightning strike had hit the building next to the lodging house, which was occupied by Mr Van Eerden and the national tax collector, Mr Boudewijn.

By the time the fire wardens arrived, both buildings were engulfed in flames. The fire engines could do little against such a blaze. The old lodging house—the pride of the Wamelinks, who had lived there since the beginning of the 18th century—burnt to the ground, as did the adjacent house on the corner of Kerkstraat. The lodging house was never rebuilt, and the site has remained an open passage between Peperstraat and Het Hoge Blik ever since.

Owners

Overview is incomplete.

Year	Plot	Owner	Description
1832	I-1152	widow of Gerrit Jan Wamelink	490 m² house, barn
1858	I-2011 I-2012	widow of Gerrit Jan Wamelink heirs of Lambertus Hermanus Wamelink	490 m² house, yard 260 m² barn, stabling
1863	I-2011 I-2012	Wilhelmina Louisa Hendrina Meijerink, lodging house keeper	490 m² house, yard 260 m² barn, stabling

Residents

Population register 1823-1838

Aalten 256

Johanna Maria Martha Mensinck (Winterswijk, 16-08-1788), lodging house keeper

Widow of Gerrit Jan Wamelink.

Population register 1838-1850

Aalten 271

Johanna Maria Martha Mensinck (Winterswijk, 16-08-1788), lodging house keeper

Population register 1850-1860

Aalten 271

Johanna Maria Martha Mensinck (Winterswijk, 16-08-1788), lodging house keeper

Next residents, son and daughter in law:

Lambertus Hermanus Wamelink (Aalten, 18-02-1813)
(1) Johanna Catharina Heming (Vreden/D, 02-07-1822)
(2) Wilhelmina Louisa Hendrina Meijerink (Aalten, 06-11-1823)