Oud-Beijerland
Encyclopedia
Oud-Beijerland is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands
, in the province of South Holland
. With a population of 23,797 in 2005, it is the most populated town on the Hoekse Waard island, located on the Oude Maas
and Spui River
s.
The municipality of Oud-Beijerland also includes the communities Vuurbaken
and Zinkweg
.
, large parts of the islands Putten and Grote Waard were lost and became clay banks and salt marshes which would be inundated at high tide and be unsuitable for habitation. In subsequent centuries, portions of land would be reclaimed.
Oud-Beijerland was formed in 1559 as "Beijerland" by Lamoral, Count of Egmont
. He was granted the rights to this area in 1557 and had the land reclaimed. This new polder
was named Beijerland, Moerkerken, Cromstrijen en de Group. Circa 1624 the smaller polders Bosschenpolder and Nieuwlandpolder were added to it. Beijerland was named after Sabina of Bavaria
(Dutch: Beijeren), wife of the Count of Egmont.
In 1582 the name was changed to Oud-Beijerland, in order to distinguish it from Nieuw-Beijerland
which was formed several kilometers to the west.
In 1604 the village got its churchtower from Sabina van Beijeren, and in 1622 the town hall was built. Oud-Beijerland then became one of the most important market places of the Hoekse Waard. Its economy was dependent on trade, industry, agriculture, and fishing. This brought prosperity which is still reflected in the elegant mansions along the Vliet.
From the end of the 19th century until ca. 1955, a tram connected Oud-Beijerland with Rotterdam
. The tram was nicknamed "het moordenaartje" (the little murderer) because of the high rate of casualties involved with its operation.
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...
, 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...
. With a population of 23,797 in 2005, it is the most populated town on the Hoekse Waard island, located on the Oude Maas
Oude Maas
The Oude Maas is a distributary of the Rhine River, and a former distributary of the Maas River, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It begins at the city of Dordrecht where the Beneden Merwede river splits into the Noord River and the Oude Maas...
and Spui River
Spui River
thumb|225px|right|Satellite image of the northwest part of the [[Rhine]]-[[Meuse River|Meuse]] delta showing river Spui .thumb|225px|right|Ferry across the Spui at Nieuw-Beijerland....
s.
The municipality of Oud-Beijerland also includes the communities Vuurbaken
Vuurbaken
Vuurbaken is a hamlet in in the Dutch province of South Holland and is part of the municipality Oud-Beijerland. It lies to the south of Oud-Beijerland and about 1 km from Zinkweg.-References:...
and Zinkweg
Zinkweg
Bommelkous is a hamlet in in the Dutch province of South Holland and is part of the municipality Oud-Beijerland. Zinkweg lies in the middle between Oud-Beijerland and Vuurbaken.-References:...
.
History
After the St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)
The St. Elizabeth's flood of 1421 was a flooding of an area in what is now the Netherlands. It takes its name from the feast day of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary which was formerly November 19....
, large parts of the islands Putten and Grote Waard were lost and became clay banks and salt marshes which would be inundated at high tide and be unsuitable for habitation. In subsequent centuries, portions of land would be reclaimed.
Oud-Beijerland was formed in 1559 as "Beijerland" by Lamoral, Count of Egmont
Lamoral, Count of Egmont
Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere was a general and statesman in the Habsburg Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the national uprising that eventually led to the independence of the Netherlands.The Count of Egmont headed one of the...
. He was granted the rights to this area in 1557 and had the land reclaimed. This new polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
was named Beijerland, Moerkerken, Cromstrijen en de Group. Circa 1624 the smaller polders Bosschenpolder and Nieuwlandpolder were added to it. Beijerland was named after Sabina of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
(Dutch: Beijeren), wife of the Count of Egmont.
In 1582 the name was changed to Oud-Beijerland, in order to distinguish it from Nieuw-Beijerland
Nieuw-Beijerland
Nieuw-Beijerland is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Korendijk, and lies about 3 km south of Spijkenisse.In 2001, the town of Nieuw-Beijerland had 3200 inhabitants...
which was formed several kilometers to the west.
In 1604 the village got its churchtower from Sabina van Beijeren, and in 1622 the town hall was built. Oud-Beijerland then became one of the most important market places of the Hoekse Waard. Its economy was dependent on trade, industry, agriculture, and fishing. This brought prosperity which is still reflected in the elegant mansions along the Vliet.
From the end of the 19th century until ca. 1955, a tram connected Oud-Beijerland with Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. The tram was nicknamed "het moordenaartje" (the little murderer) because of the high rate of casualties involved with its operation.
External links
- Official website (mainly in Dutch)
- Map (in Dutch)