Wageningen
Encyclopedia
is a municipality
and a historical town in the central Netherlands
, in the province of Gelderland
. It is famous for Wageningen University
, which specializes in life sciences
. The city has 37,414 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2010), of which many thousands are students. The university
and associated institutes, now consolidated in Wageningen University and Research Center (WUR), employs about 7400 people. Wageningen also is the central city in Food Valley
. Food Valley is the Dutch food & nutrition cluster concentrated around WUR and comprising many institutes, companies and state-of-the-art facilities in the food & nutrition field. Food Valley is regarded as the largest food & nutrition Research & Development cluster in the world. The current mayor of Wageningen is mr. Geert van Rumund.
, ("Nederrijn
" in Dutch) and at the border between the Gelderse valley and the Veluwe
, of which the southwest hill is called the Wageningse berg. Wageningen can be reached by car from highways A12, A15 and A50, and from railroad station Ede
-Wageningen where a 15 minute bus drive connects to the central bus station in the town center.
a stone floor has been found dating back to this period. After the construction of a dike to protect the city from the acidic water from the moors that then occupied the Gelderse Vallei (the current Hoogstraat), the oldest part of the present city was built to the south. The parts of the city north of the Hoogstraat were built later. Wageningen received city rights
in 1263. The city was protected by a city wall and a ditch
, and in 1526 a castle was built. The castle was dismantled during the 18th century, but the foundations of three of the towers and part of the wall remain visible today.
. This initiated the development from a small historical town into a modern technological community, a process which still continues today. Wageningen has now become the center of Food Valley, a large agglomeration of companies and research institutes specializing in food innovation. For instance, Keygene, a biotechnology company in Wageningen developed AFLP
in the early 1990s and collaborated with Beijing Genomics Institute
to sequence the entire genome of Brassica napus.
Wageningen is also world famous for its second world war history. On 5 May 1945, the German
general Blaskowitz
surrendered to the Canadian
general Charles Foulkes
, which officially ended the Second World War in the Netherlands. The Generals negotiated the terms of surrender in the Hotel de Wereld
, which since 2004 has again been serving as a hotel. On 5 May, which in the Netherlands is Liberation Day
, the city hosts a large festival
to celebrate the liberation. At this festival, veteran soldiers parade through the city and are honoured for their service.
club, FC Wageningen
, which won the KNVB-beker twice. The club went bankrupt in 1992 and played its last match in May 1992 against NAC Breda
.
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 historical town in the central 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...
, in the province of Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
. It is famous for Wageningen University
Wageningen University
Wageningen University and Research Centre is a Dutch public university in Wageningen, The Netherlands. It consists of Wageningen University, the Van Hall-Larenstein School of Higher Professional Education, and the former agricultural research institutes of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture...
, which specializes in life sciences
Life sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
. The city has 37,414 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2010), of which many thousands are students. The university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and associated institutes, now consolidated in Wageningen University and Research Center (WUR), employs about 7400 people. Wageningen also is the central city in Food Valley
Food Valley
Food Valley is a region in the Netherlands where international food companies, research institutes and Wageningen University and Research Centre are concentrated. The Food Valley area is the home of a large number of food multinationals and within the Food Valley about 15,000 professionals are...
. Food Valley is the Dutch food & nutrition cluster concentrated around WUR and comprising many institutes, companies and state-of-the-art facilities in the food & nutrition field. Food Valley is regarded as the largest food & nutrition Research & Development cluster in the world. The current mayor of Wageningen is mr. Geert van Rumund.
Location
Wageningen is situated on the north bank of the Lower RhineLower Rhine
The Lower Rhine flows from Bonn, Germany, to the North Sea at Hoek van Holland, Netherlands.Almost immediately after entering the Netherlands, the Rhine splits into many branches. The main branch is called the Waal which flows from Nijmegen to meet the river Meuse; after which it is called Merwede...
, ("Nederrijn
Nederrijn
thumb|left|300px|Course of the NederrijnNederrijn is the name of the Dutch part of the River Rhine from the confluence at the town of Angeren of the cut-off Rhine bend of Oude Rijn and the Pannerdens Kanaal...
" in Dutch) and at the border between the Gelderse valley and the Veluwe
Veluwe
The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts....
, of which the southwest hill is called the Wageningse berg. Wageningen can be reached by car from highways A12, A15 and A50, and from railroad station Ede
Ede, Netherlands
' is a municipality and a town in the center of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland.- Population centres :Community :* Bennekom: 14.749* De Klomp: 508* Deelen: 50* Ede : 67.812* Ederveen: 3.167* Harskamp: 3.464...
-Wageningen where a 15 minute bus drive connects to the central bus station in the town center.
Founding of the city
The oldest known settlements in the Wageningen area were located north of today's town centre. They were mentioned as early as 828. During the early Middle Ages a small church was built on the hill east of the town. Several wood farms have been found near the top of the hill. In the twelfth century people settled at what is currently the Bergstraat. Close to Hotel de WereldHotel de Wereld
Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen was the site of the capitulation of the German troops in the Netherlands on 5 and 6 May 1945, and the end of German occupation during World War II....
a stone floor has been found dating back to this period. After the construction of a dike to protect the city from the acidic water from the moors that then occupied the Gelderse Vallei (the current Hoogstraat), the oldest part of the present city was built to the south. The parts of the city north of the Hoogstraat were built later. Wageningen 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 1263. The city was protected by a city wall and a ditch
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
, and in 1526 a castle was built. The castle was dismantled during the 18th century, but the foundations of three of the towers and part of the wall remain visible today.
Recent history
In 1918 the town acquired its first institution of higher education, Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen, which was based on the previous agricultural college founded in 1876, and which later became Wageningen UniversityWageningen University
Wageningen University and Research Centre is a Dutch public university in Wageningen, The Netherlands. It consists of Wageningen University, the Van Hall-Larenstein School of Higher Professional Education, and the former agricultural research institutes of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture...
. This initiated the development from a small historical town into a modern technological community, a process which still continues today. Wageningen has now become the center of Food Valley, a large agglomeration of companies and research institutes specializing in food innovation. For instance, Keygene, a biotechnology company in Wageningen developed AFLP
Amplified fragment length polymorphism
Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism PCR is a PCR-based tool used in genetics research, DNA fingerprinting, and in the practice of genetic engineering. Developed in the early 1990s by Keygene, AFLP uses restriction enzymes to digest genomic DNA, followed by ligation of adaptors to the sticky...
in the early 1990s and collaborated with Beijing Genomics Institute
Beijing Genomics Institute
BGI , known as the Beijing Genomics Institute prior to 2008, is one of the world’s premier genome sequencing centers. Its sequencing output is expected to soon surpass the equivalent of more than 15,000 human genomes per year....
to sequence the entire genome of Brassica napus.
Wageningen is also world famous for its second world war history. On 5 May 1945, the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
general Blaskowitz
Johannes Blaskowitz
Johannes Albrecht Blaskowitz was a German general during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
surrendered to the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
general Charles Foulkes
Charles Foulkes (Canadian)
Charles Foulkes, was a Canadian soldier, and an officer of The Royal Canadian Regiment.-Military career:Foulkes was born in Stockton-on-Tees, England and joined the Canadian Army in 1926...
, which officially ended the Second World War in the Netherlands. The Generals negotiated the terms of surrender in the Hotel de Wereld
Hotel de Wereld
Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen was the site of the capitulation of the German troops in the Netherlands on 5 and 6 May 1945, and the end of German occupation during World War II....
, which since 2004 has again been serving as a hotel. On 5 May, which in the Netherlands is Liberation Day
Liberation Day (The Netherlands)
In the Netherlands, Liberation Day is celebrated each year on May 5th, to mark the end of the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II....
, the city hosts a large festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
to celebrate the liberation. At this festival, veteran soldiers parade through the city and are honoured for their service.
Notable people born or living in Wageningen
- Li Edelkoort (born 1950), designer and trend forecaster
- Ed van EsEd van EsEduard van Es is a former water polo player from the Netherlands, who finished in sixth position with the Dutch National Men's Team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.-References:*...
(born 1959), water polo player - August FaliseAugust FaliseAugustinus Franciscus Henri Falise was a Dutch sculptor and medailleur . Next to smaller sculptures he designed large monuments of public figures in stone or messing which are still present in many towns in the Netherlands.- Biography :Falise descended from a French/Belgian family of plasterers...
(born 1875) sculptor - Eline FlipseEline FlipseEline Flipse is a film director of documentaries.Flipse studied at the Film Academy in Amsterdam, where she got her degree in 1978. In 1982, she made her first documentary, Het Verschijnsel B, about bibliophily.She directed her first documentary for Scarabee Films in 1995; Broken Silence was about...
(born 1954), film director - Annelies MaasAnnelies MaasAnnelies Maas is a former freestyle swimmer from The Netherlands, who competed in two consequentive Summer Olympics for her native country, starting in 1976....
(born 1960), freestyle swimmer - Aletta van ManenAletta van ManenAletta van Manen is a former Dutch field hockey defender, who won the gold medal with the National Women's Team at the 1984 Summer Olympics....
(born 1958), field hockey defender - Johannes de RaeyJohannes de RaeyJohannes de Raey was a Dutch philosopher and an early cartesian.-Life facts and education:...
(born 1622), philosopher - Alexander PechtoldAlexander PechtoldAlexander Pechtold is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 30 November 2006 as well as Parliamentary group leader since 23 November 2006...
, politician and Parliamentary Leader of the Democrats 66 lives in Wageningen - Jacqueline ToxopeusJacqueline ToxopeusJacqueline Afine Toxopeus is a former Dutch field hockey international playing in goal. She is undoubtedly one of the finest goalkeepers in Dutch women's field hockey since Det de Beus. Toxopeus, nicknamed Tox, played for several clubs in Holland, but ended her career with HC Den Bosch...
(born 1964), field hockey goalkeeper - Bart VoskampBart VoskampBertus Voskamp is a retired road bicycle racer from the Netherlands, who was a professional rider from 1993 to 2005. He competed in five Tour de Frances....
(born 1968), road bicycle racer - Lisa HordijkLisa HordijkLisa Lois is a Dutch singer who rose to prominence after winning the second season of talent show X Factor. In 2009, she changed her stage name to Lisa Lois and released her debut album Smoke.-Early life:Lois was born in Wageningen, Netherlands...
(born 1987), winner of the second season of talent show X FactorX Factor (Netherlands)X Factor is a Dutch television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. It is shown Friday evenings on the RTL4 Network in the Netherlands. The first series of the show aired from October 2006 through to February 2007, while the second series of the show...
.
Sports teams
The city had its own professional football (soccer)Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club, FC Wageningen
FC Wageningen
FC Wageningen was a Dutch football club which was founded on August 27, 1911. The club played its matches in the Wageningse Berg stadium ....
, which won the KNVB-beker twice. The club went bankrupt in 1992 and played its last match in May 1992 against NAC Breda
NAC Breda
NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
.