Woerden

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Woerden
Location of Woerden
Coordinates: 52°5′9″N, 4°53′0″E
Country Netherlands
Province Utrecht
Area (2006)
 - Municipality 92.89 km²  (35.9 sq mi)
 - Land 89.53 km² (34.6 sq mi)
 - Water 3.36 km² (1.3 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2007)
 - Municipality 47,964
 - Density 536/km² (1,388.2/sq mi)
  Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

Woerden is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht, and the fact that it has excellent rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commuters who work in those cities.

Contents

[edit] Population centres

[edit] General history of Woerden

Woerden received city rights from Albert I, Duke of Bavaria in 1372, even though Woerden was still a small town that harboured about 500 citizens. Woerden is situated on the river Oude Rijn. The river Oude Rijn used to flow through the city center of Woerden, but in 1960 the old river was diverted around the city center. The city has a rich history in cheese making and trading; for years Gouda cheese for domestic and international use has been produced in this region. Woerden still has his authentic (since 1885) cheese market at the market place in its city center .

During construction work on a new underground parking facility in the city center of Woerden numerous old Roman buildings and the remains of a Roman cargo ship were found, as Woerden was a castellum (Castellum Laurum) in the limes of the Roman empire and thus was part of the defense lines of the northern border of the Roman Empire. During field research, a lot became known about the Roman time in Woerden: the location of the castellum, the zone of defense waters with the entrance road and the remains of a Roman cargo ship (site in Dutch).

After the Roman period, the place was called Wyrda, referring to Wierd, meaning that the place was on a higher place in the area. In 1410 John III, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing had the castle of Woerden constructed. In 1510 the city hall was built. Both these buildings still exist, although the castle was extensively altered and renovated through the years. Due to its strategic location on the border between the County of Holland and the Bishopric of Utrecht, various wars have been fought in and around Woerden by the various lords and ladies of these realms. In later history, the town saw occupation by the Spanish (1575, 1576) and the French (1672, 1673 and particularly disastrous in 1813).

Johannes Pistorius Woerdensis (Jan de Bakker), a catholic priest, was the first preacher in the Northern Netherlands to be martyred as a direct result of his religious beliefs. His father was a sexton in Woerden and also tenant of the brickworks, and his surname was derived from that profession.
Jan de Bakker was a pupil of Johannes Rhodius (Hinne Rode), headmaster of St. Jerome School of the Brethren of the Common Life in Utrecht. Rode was a proponent of Sacramentarianism, and in 1520 his father called Jan back to Woerden, perhaps out of concern about those heretic views. Jan transferred to Leuven, and in 1522 completed his education there. He returned to Woerden, was ordained in Utrecht as priest, and assisted his father as sexton and deacon.
Jan started to spread the heretic views, and in May 1523 he and another priest were arrested by the stewart of the castle. After a short while they were released, and it is thought that the two travelled to Wittenberg, but there is no evidence he met with Martin Luther. After he returned he continued his preachings, and the conflict with the Roman Catholic Church was further aggrevated by the fact that he broke his celibacy, and got married. In the night of May 9th, 1525 he was arrested and the next day transferred to The Hague, where he appeared before the Inquisition. He was defrocked and sentenced to death, and on September 15 1525 burned at the stake in The Hague. His widow saved her live by recanting the heresies, and lived out her live in an abbey.

The religious persecutions were restrained in Woerden. However, the duke Erik van Brunswijk, who was appointed Lord of Woerden by Philip II, suppressed the Lutheran Reformation in the city in 1566.

[edit] Notable people born in Woerden

[edit] Reference

  • Plomp, Nico (1972). Woerden 600 jaar stad. Woerden: Stichting Stichts-Hollandse Bijdragen etc., 100-103. ISSN 0929-9718. 

[edit] External links


 
Utrecht Province

Abcoude | Amersfoort | Baarn | Breukelen | Bunnik | Bunschoten | De Bilt | De Ronde Venen | Eemnes | Houten | IJsselstein | Leusden | Loenen | Lopik | Maarssen | Montfoort | Nieuwegein | Oudewater | Renswoude | Rhenen | Soest | Utrecht | Utrechtse Heuvelrug | Veenendaal | Vianen | Wijk bij Duurstede | Woerden | Woudenberg | Zeist
Netherlands | Provinces | Municipalities | map


 
Populated places in the municipality of Woerden
Cities/towns: Woerden
Villages: Harmelen - Kamerik - Zegveld
Hamlets: Barwoutswaarder - Bekenes - Breeveld - Breudijk - De Bree - Geestdorp - Gerverscop - Harmelerwaard - Houtdijken - Kamerik-Mijzijde - Kanis - Kromwijk - Lagebroek - Meije (in part) - Oud-Kamerik - Reijerscop - Rietveld - Teckop
Railway Leiden Centraal to Woerden (line 14), with stations (with municipalities bolded), and official station abbreviations:

All trains continue to Utrecht (city) on a stretch joined with line 50. edit
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