| Berkel en Rodenrijs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | South Holland | ||
| Municipality | Lansingerland | ||
| Hoofdplaats | Berkel en Rodenrijs | ||
| Area | |||
| • Land | 18.62 km2 (7.2 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 0.29 km2 (0.1 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 July 2006) | 20.189 | ||
| Transport | |||
| Major roads | N209, N470, N471, RandstadRail | ||
Berkel en Rodenrijs is a town and former municipality in the Western part of the Netherlands, and is located in the Dutch province of South Holland.
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Berkel en Rodenrijs was founded in 963. Its character changed across the centuries. Prior to its development, the land consisted of peat soil, which was cultivated for the production of turf. This cultivation resulted in the appearance of moors. During the 18th century the moors were drained and agricultural use of polder land commenced. The years that followed resulted in significant changes to the town due to residential and commercial building developments. (source: Gemeente Lansingerland)
In 1850 the town had a population count of 1,250, which by 1950 had extended to 5,700.
On 1 January 2007, the town was merged with neighbouring towns Bergschenhoek and Bleiswijk to form the new municipality of Lansingerland. On January 2008, the former municipality had a population of 22,626 (source: official municipality guide), and covered an area of 18.91 km² (7.30 mile²) of which 0.29 km² (0.11 mile²) is water.