It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and lies about 10 km southwest of Tiel.

[3] It was first mentioned in 1265 as Opynen, and means upstream as compared to Neerijnen.

[5] In 1265, Opijnen became the property of Raoul de Châtillon, a French nobleman who had fled to Gelre after a dispute with the King of France.

[6] Opijnen is home to the graves of eight American airmen who were shot down on 30 July 1943, and killed while returning to England from a bombing raid over Kassel, Germany.

From that time and for seventy-five years afterwards, the village honoured these men annually with a formal church service and then a laying of flowers on the graves.