Leerdam
Encyclopedia
Leerdam is a city and municipality in the western NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, in the province of South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
.
The municipality covers an area of 34.32 km² (13.25 mile²) of which 0.53 km² (0.20 mile²) is water. It comprises the town of Leerdam, the rural villages Kedichem
Kedichem
Kedichem is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located about 7 km northeast of the city of Gorinchem, in the municipality of Leerdam.Kedichem was a separate municipality until 1986, when it merged with Leerdam...
, Schoonrewoerd
Schoonrewoerd
Schoonrewoerd is a village in the western Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Leerdam, South Holland, about 25 km south of Utrecht. Leerdammer cheese is produced in Schoonrewoerd....
and Oosterwijk. The south border of the town is formed by the river Linge
Linge
Linge is a river in the Betuwe that is over 100 km long, which makes it one of the longest rivers that flow entirely within the Netherlands.It starts near the village Doornenburg near the German border. A legend tells us that if there will be no more pigs grazing at the castle of Doornenburg, the...
. Leerdam is the most eastern town of the province of South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
and is situated almost exactly in the middle of the three highways A2, A15 and A27.
History
Leerdam received city rightsCity rights in the Netherlands
City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
in 1407. The small river Linge, bordered by beautiful water meadows, defines the atmosphere and tone of the landscape. Several centuries ago Leerdam formed a part of the Vijfheerenlanden domain, before it was raised to the level of County in 1498. The rich history of Leerdam can be found in well-kept historic buildings such as the Grote Kerk (Great Church), the Hofje van mevrouw van Aerden (Mrs. Aerden Almshouses, now a museum), the remaining and restored city walls on the Zuidwal and the Oude Raadhuis (Old City Hall).
Glass industry
From the 18th century the town culture was strongly influenced by the glassGlass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
industry and the timber industry. The current glass industry is internationally as known as "Royal Leerdam" and more particularly in respect of designerglass or glass art
Glass art
Studio glass or glass sculpture is the modern use of glass as an artistic medium to produce sculptures or three-dimensional artworks. Specific approaches include working glass at room temperature cold working, stained glass, working glass in a torch flame , glass beadmaking, glass casting, glass...
"Royal Leerdam Crystal
Royal Leerdam Crystal
Royal Leerdam Crystal, also known as Royal Leerdam, is the designing and glass blowing department of Dutch glassware producing factory, Glasfabriek Leerdam. The company was founded in 1765 as a manufacturer of bottles in the Dutch city of Leerdam....
".
Leerdam is with Royal Leerdam Crystal
Royal Leerdam Crystal
Royal Leerdam Crystal, also known as Royal Leerdam, is the designing and glass blowing department of Dutch glassware producing factory, Glasfabriek Leerdam. The company was founded in 1765 as a manufacturer of bottles in the Dutch city of Leerdam....
, the National Glassmuseum, the Glass Centre (glassblowing
Glassblowing
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble, or parison, with the aid of a blowpipe, or blow tube...
and demonstration activities) and several art galleries the Glass City of the Netherlands and a major tourist attraction.
From Easter until the end of October international glassblowers work in the Glass Centre in Leerdam, which is open to the public.
Public transportation
The Leerdam railway stationLeerdam railway station
The railway station of Leerdam in the Netherlands is located on the Elst–Dordrecht railway line between Dordrecht and Geldermalsen. The railway station was opened on December 1, 1883....
is situated on the Elst–Dordrecht railway.
External links
