Vlaardingen

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Vlaardingen
Municipality
Old harbour in the centre of Vlaardingen
Old harbour in the centre of Vlaardingen
Flag of Vlaardingen
Flag		 Coat of arms of Vlaardingen
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): Haringstad (Herring town)
Location in South Holland
Location in South Holland
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country Netherlands
Province South Holland
Government[1]
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor (interim) Bert Blase (PvdA)
Area[2]
 • Total 26.69 km2 (10.31 sq mi)
 • Land 23.64 km2 (9.13 sq mi)
 • Water 3.05 km2 (1.18 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 1 m (3 ft)
Population (May 2014)[4]
 • Total 71,338
 • Density 3,018/km2 (7,820/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Vlaardinger
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 3130–3138
Area code 010
Website www.vlaardingen.nl
File:Vlaardingen-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg
Dutch topographic map of Vlaardingen (city), Sept. 2014
File:Vlaardingen-centrum foto2 2014-03-09 10.58.jpg
261px

Vlaardingen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvlaːrdɪŋə(n)] ( listen)) is a city in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river at the confluence with the Oude Maas. The municipality administers an area of 26.69 km2 (10.31 sq mi), of which 23.64 km2 (9.13 sq mi) is land, with 71,338 residents in 2014.

Geography

The city is divided into a northern (locally known as the "Holy") and a southern part by the A20 motorway. On the east the city is (currently in part) separated from Schiedam by the A4 motorway. Other places nearby are Maassluis to the west, Schipluiden and Delft to the north, Schiedam and Rotterdam to the east and Spijkenisse in the south-west, on the other side of the Nieuwe Maas. The A20 connects Rotterdam to Hoek van Holland. The Beneluxtunnel (the tunnel that runs under the Nieuwe Waterweg) connects the A20 to the A15.

The centre of the town is on the west side of the old harbour, which is originally a stream ('De Vlaarding') from the peat lands north and east of the town, running to the Meuse estuary.

History

File:Vlaardingen 1867.png
Vlaardingen in 1867.

The area around Vlaardingen was already settled by about 2900 to 2600 BC. In 1990, a skeleton dated at about 1300 BC was dug up in the periphery of Vlaardingen; some human nuclear DNA was identified, the oldest found anywhere in the Netherlands. Although in the Roman Age a stronghold or maybe even a vicus Flenio must have been found in nowadays Vlaardingen, between roughly 250 AD and 700 AD the region seems to have been uninhabited, like much of the west of the Netherlands. In 726 or 727 the area is again mentioned as In Pagio Marsum, where a little church was established, around which Vlaardingen formed. The church is mentioned on a list of churches Willibrord, the Apostle to the Frisians, inhered to the Abbey of Echternach.

In 1018 Vlaardingen was a stronghold of Dirk III, who levied an illegal toll on ships on the Meuse river. An army sent by German Emperor Henry II in order to stop this practice was defeated by Dirk III in the (First) Battle of Vlaardingen. In 1047, his successor Dirk IV repelled another such attack (Second Battle of Vlaardingen).

The flood disaster of December 21, 1163 (Saint Thomas Flood), ended the growth of Vlaardingen. The Counts of Holland moved away and its development stagnated.

It is known that in 1273 Vlaardingen was granted city rights by Floris V, Count of Holland. Older city rights are possible, but not provable.

In 1574, during the Eighty Years War of Dutch independence, a group of Watergeuzen burnt down Vlaardingen as commanded by William of Orange to prevent the Spanish from capturing the town. Vlaardingen later became a shipbuilding area and a significant harbour for the herring fishing industry. The fishing boats (originally "haringbuizen", later also "sloepen" and "loggers") ceased to use Vlaardingen in the years after World War II.

In 1855 the former municipality of Zouteveen was merged into the municipality Vlaardingerambacht which in turn was merged with Vlaardingen during the occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War by the Germans in 1941.

Vlaardingen consists of 8 districts/neighbourhoods:

  1. Vlaardingen Centrum
  2. Westwijk
  3. Vettenoordse polder (includes industry)
  4. Vlaardingen Oost
  5. Ambacht/Babberspolder
  6. Holy Zuid
  7. Holy Noord
  8. Broekpolder

Politics

Interim Mayor: Bert Blase (PvdA)

Seats in the city council after the municipal elections in 2010:

  • Labour Party (PvdA), 6 seats
  • Vlaardingen Ahead 2000/Livable Vlaardingen (VV2000/LV), 6 seats
  • Groenlinks (GL), 4 seats
  • People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), 4 seats
  • Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), 3 seats
  • Socialist Party (SP), 3 seats
  • Democrats 66 (D66), 2 seats
  • Christian Union/Political Reformed Party (CU/SGP), 2 seats
  • City Interests Vlaardingen (SBV), 2 seats
  • Proud of the Netherlands (TON), 2 seats
  • General Elderly Alliance (AOV), 1 seat

Economy

File:Vlaardingen Vulcaanhaven ertskranen.jpg
The 2 nl (Vlaardingse ertskranen) in the nl (Vulcaanhaven).

A Unilever research centre is located in Vlaardingen (located next to the former Fabergé factory). There are still some ship repair business(es) in Eastern Vlaardingen beside the Nieuwe Maas River. The nl (Vulcaanhaven) was for many years the largest privately owned artificial harbour in the world. The last major herring factory, Warmelo & Van Der Drift, left Vlaardingen in the middle of 2012 to relocate to Katwijk aan Zee.[5] There are still some ferry terminals (DFDS Seaways, sailing to Felixstowe and Immingham and P&O Ferries sailing to Hull).

Attractions

Monuments

Historical buildings in the town include the Grote Kerk (Big Church), the Waag (Weighing Bridge) next to the church and the old town hall (used for weddings), all on the Markt, the former marketplace, the Visbank (Fish Auction) at the harbour and the Oude Lijnbaan (Old Ropewalk, where ropes were made). The Grote Kerk was probably established between 1156 and 1164 and has been expanded, damaged and rebuilt. To the north of the old harbour is the old Aeolus) windmill, which operates and sells ground cereals. The harbour is a marina and open-air museum with old ships. At the harbour is the nl (Museum Vlaardingen) (before: Visserijmuseum and the Visserij en Vlaardings Museum), a museum dedicated to commercial sea fishing and lore. A war memorial to the crew of a Wellington bomber killed when it was shot down over Vlaardingen in March 1942 has recently been erected.

Events

The " Vlaardings Loggerfestival"[6] (it should be noted that Logger is a traditional ship used for herring fishery, the customary English name is Lugger) is held on the first Saturday of June. The festival used to be called "Haring en Bierfeest" (translation: herring and beer festival), but in 2003 the mayor decided to rename it. In 2015, the name "Haring en Bierfeest" reappeared again.

Notable residents

People who are born in or (have) lived in Vlaardingen:

Cornelis Moerman was a general practitioner and keen pigeon fancier who lived and practiced in Vlaardingen. He observed that his pigeons did not suffer from common cancers in humans. He concluded that this was due to their diet. He then started prescribing this diet to people at risk of cancer. As there never has been any scientific proof, the treatment is considered quackery, although it still has a strong following among nutritionists. Local bakeries still sell "Moerman bread". After the Second World War he was believed to have antisemitic views and pro-Germany leanings, discrediting him even further.[7]

Twin city

Czech Republic Moravská Třebová

Gallery

  • Vlaardingen, stadszicht met Lucaskerk en toren Liesveldviadukt foto3 2011-06-26 10.06.JPG
    View to the town: tower Lucaskerk and apartment building in town centre
  • Vlaardingen oude stadshuis 2006-04-02 14.59.JPG
    Old town hall 1650
  • Vlaardingen Visbank 2006-04-02 15.07.JPG
    Visbank, covered fish market
  • Vlaardingen brug achter de Visbank 2006-04-02 15.24.JPG
    Oude Havenbrug
  • Vlaardingen windmill.jpg
    1790 windmill Aeolus
  • Villa IJzermans PICT3951.jpg
    Villa "IJzermans" 1884 ship owners mansion
  • Vlaardingen 5-5-2005 8-46-42.jpg
    Villa "Francina" 1899 Art Nouveau mansion
  • Raadhuis Vlaardingerambacht in 1978.jpg
    Municipal archive building, former town hall Vlaardingerambacht
  • Vlaardingen plezierjachten in haven 2006-04-02 15.32.JPG
    View of the harbour
  • Vlaardingen, bedrijfspand H van Toorn bij de Grote Kerk foto3 2011-06-26 10.34.JPG
    Office building: H van Toor

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ News on the regional TV station website
  6. ↑ (Dutch) The Loggerfestival website
  7. ↑ (Dutch) Cornelis Moerman in the Dutch language Wikipedia

External links

 Midden-Delfland
Maassluis Schiedam
  Vlaardingen  
Het Scheur, Nieuwe Maas
Rotterdam
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