Zevenbergen

For the American basketball player, see Phil Zevenbergen.

Zevenbergen
Coat of arms
Coordinates:
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Brabant
Municipality	Moerdijk
Population	14,127

Zevenbergen is a Dutch city which is a part of the municipality of Moerdijk. Zevenbergen is located in the northwest of the province of Noord-Brabant near Breda.

History

Zevenbergen (literal translation: Seven Mountains) is presumably named after the hills that formed a natural barrier of protection during the time of the Roman Empire. The actual number of hills is debatable however and was most likely not seven. Archeological excavations in 1964 and 1965 revealed that two of the hills were already present during the Bronze Age.

From the mid-nineteenth century until the end of the twentieth century, Zevenbergen was most famous for its sugar production comprising three sugar factories. As a result of the sugar transport requirement, Zevenbergen got its railways, as well as the harbour located at the end of the "Mark" canal.

Zevenbergen was a separate municipality until 1997, when it merged with Fijnaart en Heijningen, Klundert, Standdaarbuiten and Willemstad. The name of the new municipality was originally "Zevenbergen", but was changed to "Moerdijk" in 1998.

Public transport

Zevenbergen has its own train station which, together with nearby Oudenbosch, has one of the oldest station buildings still existing in the Netherlands. The only older station building is in Valkenburg.

Facts

• Vincent van Gogh, the famous Dutch painter, lived in Zevenbergen for part of his life.

External links

• J. Kuyper, Gemeente Atlas van Nederland, 1865-1870, "Zevenbergen". Map of the former municipality, around 1868.