Schiedam
Encyclopedia
Schiedam is a city and municipality 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...
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...
. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area
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 city is located west of 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...
, east of Vlaardingen
Vlaardingen
Vlaardingen is a town in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas/Nieuwe Waterweg river at the confluence with the Oude Maas...
and south of Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
. In the south it is connected with the village of Pernis
Pernis (Netherlands)
thumb|200px|right|Pernis in 1865.Pernis is a village and district of the municipality of Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands. The district has a population of 4,560 on a total area size of 1.60 km². Pernis is not a full submunicipality of Rotterdam, but the former independent municipality...
by the Beneluxtunnel.
It is known because of its historical center with its canals, and the tallest old windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s in the world. Schiedam is also known for the production of jenever
Jenever
Jenever , is the juniper-flavored and strongly alcoholic traditional liquor of the Netherlands and Belgium, from which gin evolved...
(gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
) - such as the internationally-renowned Ketel One
Ketel One
Ketel One is a liquor brand of the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, the Netherlands. Ketel One Vodka is distilled from 100% wheat in copper pot stills, filtered over loose charcoal, and rests in tile lined tanks until ready...
- so much so that in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
the word schiedam (usually without a capital s-) refers to the town's Holland gin. This was the town's main industry during the early Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
in the 18th and 19th century, a dark period to which it owed its former nickname "Zwart Nazareth" of "black Nazareth".
History
Around the year 1250 the river SchieSchie
Schie is the name for four waterways in the area of Overschie, South Holland, the Netherlands. There are the Delftse Schie, the Delfshavense Schie, the Rotterdamse Schie and the Schiedamse Schie...
was dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
med to protect the 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...
land from the seawater. The dam attracted trade activities because goods for and from the hinterland had to be transhipped. A small town developed around the dam and its activities.
In the year 1275 Schiedam received city rights from Aleida van Avesnes
Adelaide of Holland
Adelaide of Holland or Aleide van Holland was a daughter of Floris IV, Count of Holland and Matilda of Brabant. She was also a sister of William II, Count of Holland and King of Germany...
, sister of William II, count
Count of Holland
The Counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century.-House of Holland:The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia...
of Holland.
The 18th century was Schiedam's Golden Age, when the gin industry flourished. Five windmills in the town, called De Noord, Walvisch, Drie Koornbloemen, Nieuwe Palmboom and Vrijheid, and many storehouses are relicts of this past. In one of the former factories at the Lange Haven the Jenever Museum is established.
On 10 august 1856 the first major train crash in the Netherlands happened near the Schiedam railway station
Schiedam Centrum railway station
Schiedam Centrum is a railway station and metro station in Schiedam, just to the west of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The station is located on the railway line between Den Haag and Rotterdam Centraal, and forms the beginning of the railway line towards Hoek van Holland...
, causing 3 deaths. On 4 May 1976 the Schiedam train disaster
Schiedam train disaster
The Schiedam train disaster took place on 4 May 1976 near the station Schiedam Rotterdam-West. The international Rhine Express boat train from Hook of Holland, which left at 07:00 CET for Munich and was hauled by NS Class 1300 electric locomotive no. 1311 Best collided with a stoptrain coming...
took place near the station which resulted in 24 deaths.
Geography
The city of Schiedam is located in the DutchNetherlands
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 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...
. It is enclosed between 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...
(east), Vlaardingen
Vlaardingen
Vlaardingen is a town in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas/Nieuwe Waterweg river at the confluence with the Oude Maas...
(west) and the river Nieuwe Maas
Nieuwe Maas
The Nieuwe Maas distributary of the Rhine River, and a former distributary of the Maas River, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It runs from the confluence of the rivers Noord and Lek, and flows west through Rotterdam. It ends west of the city where it meets the Oude Maas , near Vlaardingen,...
(south).
Museums
- Het Stedelijk Museum
- Het Gedistilleerd Museum Jenever Museum
- Het Borrelmuseum (in 't Spul on Hoogstraat)
- Museummolen De Nieuwe Palmboom
- Nationaal Coöperatie Museum Schiedam / 't Winkeltje
- Artgallery 't Walvisch
Monuments
- The old city hall (Het Oude stadhuis) (photo)
- The canals of Schiedam
- The Wheat Exchange (De Korenbeurs)
- Church of Saint John (Sint Jan)
- The ruins of the castle Huis te Riviere (photo)
- Saint Lidwina basilica (photo)
- De Plantage
- The Porters' Guild House (Het Zakkendragershuisje)
- Het Proveniershuis
- The historical windmills of Schiedam. This includes De Noord the tallest windmill in the world which is used as a restaurant.
Events
- De Brandersfeesten
- The National Windmill Days (Nationale Molen- & Gemalen dag)
Sport
The most popular sports in Schiedam are soccer and also field hockey. Cricket is more popular in Schiedam than in most other Dutch cities.People from Schiedam
- Dmitri van den Bersselaer (born 1968) - historian
- Maarten BiesheuvelMaarten BiesheuvelMaarten Biesheuvel is a Dutch writer. He made his literary debut in 1972 with the short story collection In de bovenkooi. He received the "Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs" in 1984 for Reis door mijn kamer. In 2007 he received the P. C...
(born 1939) - Dutch writer - Rob CordemansRob CordemansRob "Robbie" Cordemans is a Dutch baseball player. He bats and throws righthanded. Cordemans is best known for representing the Dutch national team at the Olympics and other international competitions.- Olympics :Cordemans has been a fixture on Dutch baseball teams in international competitions...
(born 1974) - Dutch baseball player - Luc CastaignosLuc CastaignosLuc Castaignos , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Inter Milan and for the Netherlands U19. He is the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands U-17 national team...
(born 1992) - footballer, currently playing for Internazionale FC. - Ton van Duinhoven - Classic and comic actor, best known for his creations of Mijnheer Jamin and Feyenoordsuppoost Van Crooswijk
- Rinus GosensRinus GosensRinus Gosens was a football player and manager from the Netherlands. As a player, he won the Dutch championship with SVV in 1949. After his active career he became a football manager, who worked for Fortuna Vlaardingen, SVV, Heracles Almelo, FC Eindhoven and FC Den Bosch.-External links:...
(born 1920) - footballer - Cornelis Haga (1578 - 1654) - first ambassador of the Dutch RepublicDutch RepublicThe Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
to the Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries... - Herman HeinsbroekHerman HeinsbroekHermanus Philippus Johannes Bernardus Heinsbroek is a Dutch entrepreneur and was Minister of Economic Affairs in the First Balkenende cabinet.-Personal life:...
(born 1951) - Dutch entrepreneur and former Minister of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands - Han van der Horst - author and historian
- Luke van Jammer - former Dutch Cricket Captain.
- Erik JazetErik JazetErik Alexander Jazet is a former Dutch field hockey player, who played 308 international matches for the Netherlands. The defender made his debut for the Dutch on November 17, 1990 in a match against England....
(born 1971) - hockey player and coach - Ali El KhattabiAli El KhattabiAli Elkhattabi is a retired Dutch-Moroccan professional footballer.-Career:Elkhattabi has played at Sparta Rotterdam , SC Heerenveen , AZ Alkmaar and RBC Roosendaal...
(born 1977) - footballer - Danny KoevermansDanny KoevermansDanny Koevermans is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as a centre forward for Toronto FC in Major League Soccer.-Early career:...
(born 1978) - footballer - Jacomina Lodder (1905-) - mycologistMycologyMycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans as a source for tinder, medicinals , food and entheogens, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning or...
- Saint Lidwina (1380–1433) - Catholic saint
- Robert MaaskantRobert MaaskantRobert Patrick Maaskant is a retired Dutch football midfielder and current manager.-Career:He played for Go Ahead Eagles , FC Emmen , Motherwell F.C...
(born 1969) - footballer - Joannes Nolet (Brugge 1634 - Schiedam 1702) - founder of the Nolet'distillery in 1691.
- Piet Paaltjes pen name of Francois Haverschmidt (1835–1894) - Protestant clergyman and romantic author
- Patricia PaayPatricia PaayPatricia Anglaia Margareth Paaij , best known as Patricia Paay, is a Dutch singer, radio host, glamour model and television personality. In the Netherlands, she is well known for her musical career, which spans over four decades...
- singer and now tv juror - Rien PoortvlietRien PoortvlietRien Poortvliet was a Dutch draughtsman and painter.Born in Schiedam, he was best known for his of animals and for "Gnomes" in the famous series of books by Wil Huygen and published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. of New York City.Being a plasterer's son from Schiedam, making a living as an artist did...
(1932–1995) - sketcher and painter - Bob Offenberg a.k.a. "Zanger Bob" (born 1996) - singer
- Jan van RiebeeckJan van RiebeeckJohan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town.-Biography:...
- (1619–1677), colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town (South Africa). Van Riebeeck grew up in Schiedam, although he was born in Culemborg, Netherlands. - Andre van TroostAndre van TroostAdrianus 'André' Petrus van Troost is a former Dutch cricketer.A right-arm fast bowler van Troost represented his nation at ICC Trophy level between 1990 and 1997, taking thirteen wickets in nine matches at the bowling average of 17.38.-Playing career:Van Troost played for Somerset in English...
(born 1972) - English County cricket player (Somerset) - Pieter van VollenhovenPieter van VollenhovenPieter van Vollenhoven, Jr. is the husband of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and a member of the Dutch Royal House.-Early life and career:Born in Schiedam, he is the second son of Pieter van Vollenhoven, Sr...
(born 1939) - husband of Princess Margriet of the NetherlandsPrincess Margriet of the NetherlandsPrincess Margriet Francisca of the Netherlands is the third daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands... - Pauline van der WildtPauline van der WildtPaulina Jacoba van der Wildt was a Dutch swimmer who won the bronze medal in the 4x100 metres Freestyle Relay at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Her teammates in that race, who clocked in at 4:12, were Toos Beumer, Erica Terpstra and Winnie van Weerdenburg.-References:* *...
(born 1944) - swimmer - Elizabeth WitmerElizabeth WitmerElizabeth Witmer is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, originally representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo for the Progressive Conservative Party.Witmer moved with her family to Ontario at a young age...
(born 1946) - member of the Legislative Assembly of OntarioLegislative Assembly of OntarioThe Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
, Canada - John de WolfJohn de WolfJohannes "John" Hildebrand de Wolf is a retired Dutch footballer, who earned six caps for the Dutch national team, scoring two goals.-Club:...
(born 1962) - footballer