Oosterhout
Encyclopedia
Oosterhout is a municipality
and a city in the South of the Netherlands
. At June, 2008, the city population was 54,015.
had a temple here dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was home to a castle which later acquired control over the surrounding area, up to Breda
and Bergen op Zoom
. The castle was destroyed by Spanish troops during the Eighty Years War, in 1573; only a tower of it survives today.
The city became the seat of a flourishing ceramics industry, which lasted until the 19th century. In 1625 the city was besieged by Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
, and suffered heavy damage.
Despite the rise of Protestantism, it was home to several Catholic monasteries, including that of the Premonstratensian
s, which is still active. Oosterhout received city rights
in 1809, by will of Louis Bonaparte
.
and hockey club De Warande.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a city in the South of 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...
. At June, 2008, the city population was 54,015.
History
Oosterhout is mentioned for the first time in 1277, although archaeological excavations showed the existence of human settlements in the area in prehistoric times. The Knights TemplarKnights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
had a temple here dedicated to St. John the Baptist. It was home to a castle which later acquired control over the surrounding area, up to Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
and Bergen op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands.-History:Bergen op Zoom was granted city status probably in 1266. In 1287 the city and its surroundings became a lordship as it was separated from the lordship of Breda. The lordship was elevated to a margraviate...
. The castle was destroyed by Spanish troops during the Eighty Years War, in 1573; only a tower of it survives today.
The city became the seat of a flourishing ceramics industry, which lasted until the 19th century. In 1625 the city was besieged by Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
, and suffered heavy damage.
Despite the rise of Protestantism, it was home to several Catholic monasteries, including that of the Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
s, which is still active. Oosterhout received 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 1809, by will of Louis Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
.
Main sights
- Slotjes (Castle)
- Unfinished basilica of St. John. A RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church existed in 1277, but from around 1473 it was rebuilt in the current Gothic style, being finished in 1493. The tower was constructed from 1519 to 1552. It was restored several times in the following centuries. - Monastery of St. Catherine, once a castle held by the Knights Hospitaller.
Population centres
- Oosterhout (population: 47,920)
- Baarschot
- Groenendijk
- HeikantHeikant (Oosterhout)Heikant is a hamlet in the municipality of Oosterhout, in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located about 3 km southeast of the centre of Oosterhout....
- Heistraat
- Hespelaar
- Seters
- Steelhoven
- Vijfhuizen
- Vrachelen
- Dorst (Oosterhout) (2,440)
- Steenoven
- Oosteind (1,350)
- Den Hout (1,210)
- Eind van den Hout
- Ter Aalst
Sport
Oosterhout is home to several sports clubs, for example volleyball club VOKO, football clubs SCO-Tofs, VV Oosterhout, baseball club TwinsTWINS
Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184...
and hockey club De Warande.
Notable people
- ExtinceExtinceExtince is one of the first Dutch language rappers to appear in the Dutch music charts.Extince was born as Peter Kops in Oosterhout, Netherlands...
(Peter Kops), Dutch rapper - Marlies DekkersMarlies DekkersMarlies Dekkers is a Dutch fashion designer known for her lingerie line Undressed.-Biography:Marlies Dekkers was born in Oosterhout, the Netherlands. She studied at the Art school in Breda, from which she graduated cum laude in 1991...
, lingerie designer