Ruigoord
Encyclopedia
Ruigoord is a former island and a village in the Houtrakpolder in the IJ meer
in the Dutch
province of North Holland
. It is a part of the municipality of Amsterdam
, and lies about 8 km east of Haarlem
.
In the 1960s the village was evacuated by the municipality of Amsterdam, which intended to extend its harbour, but the plans fell through. In 1973 the village was squat
ted by a group of artists who planned to make a colony there.. It exists to this day, but is legalized nowadays. Full moon parties are regularly organised in the church and every year there is a festival in August. Since the early 2000s, the village has staged an annual poetry festival over the Whitsun
weekend, Fiery Tongues. One of the festivals' three days is always devoted to international poets. From 2003 on, a yearly Ruigoord Trophy has been awarded to individuals who have selflessly dedicated themselves to maintaining the village as an important cultural stronghold. The first such trophy was presented to Simon Vinkenoog
. A notable non-Dutch trophy holder is the late poet & photographer Ira Cohen
.
IJ (bay)
The IJ is a river, formerly a bay, in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is known for being Amsterdam's waterfront. The name derives from the generic Germanic term for "water" and is similar to other Aa/Ee names for bodies of water. In Dutch, the name consists of the digraph ij, which is...
in the Dutch
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...
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:...
. It is a part of the municipality of Amsterdam
Amsterdam (municipality)
The Government of Amsterdam is the government of the municipality and city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Most of the inhabitants live in the city of Amsterdam, but the municipality also covers a number of small villages, and other parts of the local government, such as the Waterschap or the...
, and lies about 8 km east of Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
.
In the 1960s the village was evacuated by the municipality of Amsterdam, which intended to extend its harbour, but the plans fell through. In 1973 the village was squat
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
ted by a group of artists who planned to make a colony there.. It exists to this day, but is legalized nowadays. Full moon parties are regularly organised in the church and every year there is a festival in August. Since the early 2000s, the village has staged an annual poetry festival over the Whitsun
Whitsun
Whitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
weekend, Fiery Tongues. One of the festivals' three days is always devoted to international poets. From 2003 on, a yearly Ruigoord Trophy has been awarded to individuals who have selflessly dedicated themselves to maintaining the village as an important cultural stronghold. The first such trophy was presented to Simon Vinkenoog
Simon Vinkenoog
Simon Vinkenoog was a Dutch poet and writer. He was the editor of the anthology Atonaal , which launched the Dutch "Fifties Movement"....
. A notable non-Dutch trophy holder is the late poet & photographer Ira Cohen
Ira Cohen
Ira Cohen was an American poet, publisher, photographer and filmmaker.Cohen lived in Morocco and in New York City in the 1960s, he was in Kathmandu in the 1970s and traveled the world in the 1980s, before returning to New York, where he spent the rest of his life...
.