's-Gravenzande
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| The town centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of 's-Gravenzande in the municipality of Westland. |
's-Gravenzande is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 12 km southwest of The Hague. Until 2004 it was a separate municipality and covered an area of 20.77 km² (of which 3.38 km² water).
In 2001, the town of 's-Gravenzande had 15241 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 2.7 km², and contained 5879 residences.[1] The statistical area "'s-Gravenzande", which also can include the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 19750.[2]
The former municipality of 's-Gravenzande also included the township of Heenweg.
[edit] History
's-Gravenzande was granted city rights in 1246 by Count William II of Holland who, just like his father Count Floris IV, regularly resided at his estate near the town. It is therefore the only "city" in Westland despite Naaldwijk being larger.
Machteld van Brabant, daughter of Duke Henry I and wife of Floris IV, was responsible for building the town's church, and gave it a madonna statue to which miracluous powers were attributed. 's-Gravenzande subsequently became a pilgrimage site.
[edit] Notable people born in 's-Gravenzande
- Stefan Aartsen (b. 1975), butterfly swimmer
[edit] References
- ^ Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001. (Statistics are for the continuous built-up area).
- ^ Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Statline: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2003-2005. As of January 1, 2005.
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