Brielle

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Brill
Brielle
Municipality
Historic city centre
Historic city centre
Flag of Brill
Flag
Coat of arms of Brill
Coat of arms
Location in South Holland
Location in South Holland
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Country Netherlands
Province South Holland
Government[1]
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor Gregor Rensen (PvdA)
Area[2]
 • Total 31.14 km2 (12.02 sq mi)
 • Land 27.56 km2 (10.64 sq mi)
 • Water 3.58 km2 (1.38 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 2 m (7 ft)
Population (May 2014)[4]
 • Total 16,350
 • Density 593/km2 (1,540/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Briellenaar
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 3230–3232
Area code 0181
Website www.brielle.nl
File:Gem-Brielle-OpenTopo.jpg
Dutch Topographic map of Brielle, June 2015

Brielle (Audio file "Nl-Brielle.ogg" not found), also called Den Briel (Brill in English) is a town, municipality and historic seaport in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New Maas. The municipality covers an area of 31.14 km2 (12.02 sq mi) of which 3.58 km2 (1.38 sq mi) is water. In 2014 its population was 16,350.

The municipality of Brielle also includes the communities Vierpolders and Zwartewaal.

History

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Brielle is a very old, fortified town. Its name is derived from the Celtic word brogilo (meaning "closed area" or "hunting grounds"). The oldest writings about Brielle indicate that the current location is the "new" Brielle. Den ouden Briel (Old Brill) must have been situated somewhere else on the Voorne-Putten Island. It received city rights in 1306. The city was for a long time the seat of the Count of Voorne, until this fiefdom was added to Holland in 1371. It had its own harbour and traded with the countries around the Baltic Sea. Brielle even had its own trading colony in Sweden.

During the Eighty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain, the Capture of Brielle on April 1, 1572, by Protestant rebels, the Watergeuzen, marked a turning point in the conflict, as many towns in Holland then began to support William of Orange against the Spanish Duke Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba who was sent to pacify The Netherlands. This event is still celebrated each year on April 1 and the night before (known as Chalk Night (kalknacht) when the city is defaced with chalk - and now also white paint). Dutch students are taught a short rhyme to remember this fact, which rhyme refers to April Fools' Day:

"Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril" translating into "On April 1st, Alva lost his glasses",

("bril" is the Dutch word for "glasses". The same rhyme continues with the line "Op April zes verloor Alva zijn fles" "On April 6th Alva lost his bottle" in which the word "Fles" stands for the town of Vlissingen, which was the next town to be caught by the Dutch rebels.)

After the capture of Brielle the Protestant rebels tortured and murdered the Catholic Martyrs of Gorkum and Brielle has become a pilgrimage location since then.

In August 1585, Brielle was one of the four Dutch towns that became an English possession by the Treaty of Nonsuch when Queen Elizabeth I received it as security of payment for 5000 soldiers used by the Dutch in their struggle against the Spanish. In 1617, these cities returned to the Netherlands.

Twin cities

Brielle is twinned with:

Gallery

References

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External links