Naarden
Encyclopedia
Naarden (ˈnaːrdə) is a municipality and a town in the Gooi
region in the province of North Holland
in the Netherlands
. Naarden is an example of a star fort
, complete with fortified
walls and a moat
. The walls and the moat have been restored and are in a very good state.
Naarden was granted its city rights
in 1300 (the only town in Het Gooi to have been done so) and later developed into a fortressed garrison town with a textile industry. Naarden is the home of the Netherlands Fortress Museum (Nederlands Vestingmuseum). Every year Naarden hosts the national photograph festival and, on Good Friday
, a performance of Bach
's St. Matthew Passion in the local church, which is called the Great Church or St. Vitus Church. Despite its earlier importance, Naarden population size was surpassed by Hilversum
in the 18th century and today is smaller than its neighbour Bussum
.
Naarden is well known as the city where Jan Amos Komensky (Comenius) was buried and where visitors can see his grave in the mausoleum devoted to him.
Its distinctive shape made it a rally point for Allied bombers returning to England after raids on Germany.
, which has services to Almere
, Amersfoort
, Amsterdam
and Utrecht
.
The Swiss composer Frank Martin
lived in Naarden for the last twenty years of his life. The sepulchre of Jan Ámos Komenský is also located in Naarden.
Gooi
Het Gooi is the area around Hilversum in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants, and its villas. Het Gooi is known in the Netherlands as the home of the rich and famous.- Name :The name...
region in the province of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
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...
. Naarden is an example of a star fort
Star fort
A star fort, or trace italienne, is a fortification in the style that evolved during the age of gunpowder, when cannon came to dominate the battlefield, and was first seen in the mid-15th century in Italy....
, complete with fortified
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
walls and a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. The walls and the moat have been restored and are in a very good state.
Naarden was granted its city rights
City 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 1300 (the only town in Het Gooi to have been done so) and later developed into a fortressed garrison town with a textile industry. Naarden is the home of the Netherlands Fortress Museum (Nederlands Vestingmuseum). Every year Naarden hosts the national photograph festival and, on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, a performance of Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's St. Matthew Passion in the local church, which is called the Great Church or St. Vitus Church. Despite its earlier importance, Naarden population size was surpassed by Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
in the 18th century and today is smaller than its neighbour Bussum
Bussum
Bussum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History:Bussum was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town...
.
Naarden is well known as the city where Jan Amos Komensky (Comenius) was buried and where visitors can see his grave in the mausoleum devoted to him.
Its distinctive shape made it a rally point for Allied bombers returning to England after raids on Germany.
Transport
The nearest station is Naarden-Bussum railway stationNaarden-Bussum railway station
Naarden-Bussum is a railway station in Bussum and Naarden, the Netherlands. The station has one standard platform and one island platform and it has a total of four tracks, of which one track is for passing trains only. The station was opened on 10 June 1874. The station is on the Amsterdam -...
, which has services to Almere
Almere
Almere is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, the Netherlands, bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde. The municipality of Almere comprises the districts Almere Stad, Almere Haven, Almere Buiten, Almere Hout, Almere Poort and Almere Pampus .Almere is the youngest city in the...
, Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
.
Local government
The municipal council of Naarden consists of 17 seats, which are divided as follows:- VVDPeople's Party for Freedom and DemocracyThe People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
- 6 seats - CDAChristian Democratic AppealThe Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
- 3 seats - GroenLinks - 4 seats
- PvdALabour Party (Netherlands)The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
- 3 seats - D66Democrats 66Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
- 1 seat
Notable people born in Naarden
- Willem ArondeusWillem ArondeusWillem Arondeus was a homosexual Dutch artist and author, who joined the anti-Nazi resistance movement during World War II.-Early life:...
(1894–1943) – artist and author - Bertil SchmüllBertil SchmüllBertil H.W. Schmüll is a Dutch engraver, known professionally by his first name Bertil, who has been compared in a modern sense in form and style to Albrecht Dürer. He works with the techniques of engraving and drypoint....
(1946) – engraver - Andries Knevel (1952) – talk show host
- Annemarie GroenAnnemarie GroenAnnemarie Groen is a former backstroke swimmer from the Netherlands, who competed for her native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany...
(1955) – backstroke swimmer - Tom van 't HekTom van 't HekMaria Thomas van ’t Hek is a former field hockey striker from the Netherlands, who played 221 international matches for the Dutch national field hockey team, in which he scored a total number of 106 goals...
(1958) – field hockey player and coach - Nordin AmrabatNordin AmrabatNordin Amrabat is a Moroccan football player, who is currently playing for Kayserispor in the Turkish Süper Lig. He has played for Dutch national youth teams and has been called up for the senior national side one time. However, on October 1, 2009, Amrabat announced his decision to play for...
(1987) – football player - Tom CoronelTom CoronelTom Romeo Coronel is a Dutch auto racing driver. Tom's twin brother Tim is also a racer, just like their father Tom Coronel Sr...
(1972) – racing driver - Belcampo (21 juli 1902 - 1990) – Writer (Herman Pieter Schönfeld Wichers)
- Salomon van Ruysdael (between 1600-1603 to 3 November 1670) – painter
- Maarten van Delden (1958) – professor at UCLA and field hockey player
- Maarten de BruijnMaarten de BruijnMaarten de Bruijn is a Dutch engineer.Born in Naarden, he graduated in 1996 at University of Amsterdam with Master Degree in City Planning. 1990-1996 he single-handed designed, constructed and made functional prototype Spyker Silvestris V8. 1999 he co-founded with Victor Muller company Spyker...
(1965) – product designer
The Swiss composer Frank Martin
Frank Martin (composer)
Frank Martin was a Swiss composer, who lived a large part of his life in the Netherlands.-Childhood and youth:...
lived in Naarden for the last twenty years of his life. The sepulchre of Jan Ámos Komenský is also located in Naarden.
External links
- Webportal for the citizens of "het Naarderbos"
- More historical, recreational and tourist information on Wikitravel Naarden travel guide