the Roman general Varus and "veld" (meaning "field"), pointing at the possibility that Varsseveld had been an important battleground in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. In 1984, a twenty-five meters tall statue with a Roman helmet on top was erected in celebration of the newly constructed motorway Rijksweg 15, also referring to this story. Historians critiqued the use of the Roman helmet as the idea of Varus having set foot in Varsseveld was highly unlikely and stated that "Varsse" was derived from the word "vaars", meaning "young cow". In 2005, a study by the University of Osnabrück proved that it had been impossible for Varus to have fought anywhere near Varsseveld. Another local belief that aided this urban myth is the existence of a rural road called Romienendiek in Aalten. In Low Saxon, Romienendiek could translate to Roman's dyke. However, the road was likely named after Rooi'je Mien, a local folklore figure. Sport Varsseveld hosted the 2009 Dutch Sidecarcross Grand Prix, on 7 June. Varsseveld hosted a Strongman contest, the Strongman Champions League Holland Grand Prix on June 1, 2008. The winner of the contest was Žydrūnas Savickas from Lithuania. Football coach Guus Hiddink and cyclist Robert Gesink were born and raised in Varsseveld. Events Annual events include: Nationale motorcross (May) Eeuwig Erbarmen Festival/’n drom (first Saturday in July) men-wedstrijden (July) Varssevelds Volksfeest (third weekend in August) Koetsentocht en Monicadag (July) Hootchie Koe festival (May) Goa dag References Populated places in Gelderland Former municipalities of Gelderland Oude IJsselstreek