Soest, Netherlands
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| Soest | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Utrecht |
| Area (2006) | |
| - Total | 46.45 km² (17.9 sq mi) |
| - Land | 46.26 km² (17.9 sq mi) |
| - Water | 0.19 km² (0.1 sq mi) |
| Population (1 January 2007) | |
| - Total | 45,346 |
| - Density | 980/km² (2,538.2/sq mi) |
| Source: CBS, Statline. | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
This article is about the Dutch town and municipality. There is also a town called Soest in Germany, see Soest, Germany.
Soest is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is located about 6 km west of Amersfoort.
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[edit] Population centres
- Soest
- Soestduinen
- Soestdijk
- Soesterberg
[edit] The town of Soest
Soest is at least 975 years old. The oldest documents mentioning Soest (then written as Zoys) date from 1029. Its oldest church (the Oude Kerk, meaning Old Church), which is still in use today, dates from the 15th century.Traces of earlier habitation are found though. The area of "Hees", now at the outskirts of Soest may date in to the Early Middle Ages, and prehistoric burial mounds in the Soesterduinen point to early habitation in this area.
Medieval agricultural activity is still visible as there is much farmland within Soest. The biggest area is in the center of the town, on a hill, and are called 'de Engh'. A small street is 'het Kerkpad'. The Soesterduinen, in the South, sanddunes, are worth visiting.
Upon visiting Soest, numerous churches depict the Calvinist/Catholic tradition of the region. Christengemeente Soest, Wilhelmina church Soest, Gereformeerde Kerk Vrijgemaakt, Emmakerk and the Evangelical Church Soest are the main churches within the town of Soest.
Currently some 50,000 inhabitants live in Soest, consisting mainly of commuters.
[edit] Transport
Soest can be reached by train (every half hour) from Utrecht (:05 and :35) and Baarn (:23 and :53); all trains stop at the three stations, Soest Zuid, Soest and Soestdijk. The station of Soestduinen situated on the railroad between Utrecht and Amersfoort was closed in 1998, after being in service for 135 years.
Soest has a number of bus stops and three bus lines, all of which leave from the bus station at Soest Zuid exactly at the half hour. Line 1 and 2 are local buses that do not leave Soest. Line 70, however, travels both directions to Amersfoort and Hilversum. Recently, this line includes Leusden.
[edit] Sister cities
[edit] External links
- Official Website (in Dutch)
- Welcome in Soest (in Dutch)
- Map
- History of transportation in Soest by Nico Spilt.
- Christengemeente Soest
- Wilhelmina church Soest
- Gereformeerde Kerk Vrijgemaakt
[edit] References
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