Woerden | |
|---|---|
City andMunicipality | |
 Aerial view of Woerden in 2013 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
.svg) Location in Utrecht | |
| Coordinates:52°5′N4°53′E / 52.083°N 4.883°E /52.083; 4.883 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Utrecht |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Victor Molkenboer (PvdA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 92.92 km2 (35.88 sq mi) |
| • Land | 88.57 km2 (34.20 sq mi) |
| • Water | 4.35 km2 (1.68 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (January 2021)[4] | |
• Total | 52,694 |
| • Density | 595/km2 (1,540/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Woerdenaar |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 3440–3449, 3470–3481 |
| Area code | 0348 |
| Website | www |
Woerden (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈʋuːrdə(n)]ⓘ) is acity and amunicipality in theProvince of Utrecht in the centralNetherlands, 15 km west ofUtrecht and 32 km south ofAmsterdam.
The riverOude 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 long and rich history incheese making and trading; for yearsGouda cheese for domestic and international use has been produced in this region. Woerden still holds its authentic (since 1885) cheese market at the market place in its center.
Woerden is situated on the river Oude Rijn, near the confluence with the formerLinschoten (water) [nl] stream. The lower stretch of the Linschoten stream fromMontfoort andLinschoten to Woerden silted up a long time ago and its flow was diverted through theLek andHollandse IJssel rivers, but at one time it was an important branch of theRhinedelta, connecting theLower Rhine fromWijk bij Duurstede to the Oude Rijn near Woerden. Near the former confluence was an area that was slightly more elevated than the surroundings, anatural levee, which — in an area that is prone to flooding — made it an attractive location for settlement.
Here, at the highest spot, the Romans built acastellum (Castellum Laurum), as part of thelimes of theRoman Empire and thus part of the defense lines of the northern border of the Roman Empire. The first castellum was built in the 40sAD and was destroyed in 69 AD during theBatavian rebellion. In 70 AD, the castellum was rebuilt, and the Romans remained until 402 AD, with an interruption lasting from about 275-300 AD.
The Castellum was located at the present site of themedieval Petruschurch and surrounding churchyard. During construction work on a new underground parking facility in the city center of Woerden, the remains of numerous old Roman buildings and a Roman cargo ship were found. 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.[5]
Little is known about the period after the Romans left for good in 402 AD. It may be assumed that people continued to live here, but there is little archaeological evidence. A Frankish sword dated from the 8th century has been found on the site of the Roman Castellum in 2012. The area was contested betweenFrisians andFranks. Frankish KingDagobert I conquered the area around 630, and a small church was built in nearbyUtrecht. Around 650, the Frisians came back, destroyed the Frankish church in Utrecht, and the Frisian king established his court there. Then, in 689 kingRedbad was defeated by FrankishDukePippin of Herstal in the battle ofDorestad and the Franks regained control of the area. King Redbad reconquered Utrecht after Pippin died in 714, but the Frisian victory was short-lived:DukeCharles Martel defeated Redbad in 718. In 734, Charles Martel went on to vanquish the Frisians, in theBattle of the Boarn.
Themissionaries followed in the footsteps of the Frankish conquerors: In 695 AD,Willibrord, known as the "Apostle to theFrisians" becameBishop of Utrecht, with interruptions due to Frisian incursions.Boniface worked here from 719 to 722.Liudger reports that Boniface preached inWyrda, referring toWierde, meaning that the place was on higher ground in the area. Around 850, the Bishop had to leave once more, this time because ofViking marauders. BishopBalderik returned to Utrecht in 918, after the Viking threat subsided. The Bishop claims Woerden as part of his jurisdiction: In a list prepared between 918 and 948 it is mentioned thatIn UUrdin totum Sancti Martini,[6] meaning: In Woerden everything belongs to Saint Martin, i.e. the church in Utrecht.
The Bishop of Utrecht received land grants, first from the Frankish kings, and later from theKings of Germany, in particularOtto I, Holy Roman Emperor. In 1024 AD, the bishops were made Princes of theHoly Roman Empire and the newPrince-bishopric of Utrecht was formed.
Around 1000 AD, settlement was limited to the river banks; further inland were undevelopedbogs. The bishops used their new authority to stimulatereclamation of this wilderness.Concessions were granted to settlers, who drained the bogs by digging dividing ditches beginning from rivers and streams and stretching about ¾ mile inland, thus creating the characteristic grid of fields still seen today. By about 1300 AD, the reclamation process had been completed.
In the meantime, a competing realm had developed to the west, along the coast. First known asWest Frisia it became known asHolland whenFloris II, Count of Holland moved his court toLeiden in 1101. TheCounts of Holland expanded their influence, and by 1165 they built a fort called Svadeburg, near present-dayZwammerdam, about 7 miles to the west of Woerden. Around 1160,BishopGodfrey van Rhenen built acastle in Woerden. Once more Woerden became a border town between two belligerent powers, a situation that lasted until 1527 when theBishop of Utrecht sold his territories to EmperorCharles V and the two statelets were united under Charles' rule. Due to its strategic location on the border between theCounty of Holland and theBishopric ofUtrecht, various wars have been fought in and around Woerden by the various lords and ladies of these realms.
From about 1131 to 1296, the van Woerden family dominated local affairs in Woerden. Several scions of the family are known asHerman van Woerden. Originally they were stewards of the castle for the Bishop, but in time they sought to become independent. In 1274Herman VI van Woerden formed an alliance withGijsbrecht IV van Amstel, and revolted against bishop-electJohn of Nassau. In 1278,Floris V, Count of Holland, intervened on the side of the much-weakened bishop, and defeated the rebellious lords. Gijsbrecht was taken prisoner, and Herman went into exile. In 1281, Floris V was awarded the lands of the rebellious lords, includingAmsterdam and Woerden. In a 1288 peace agreement Floris restored theLordship of Woerden to Herman van Woerden, but now as avassal of the count. However, Herman did not prove himself to be a trustworthy vassal: in 1296 the humiliated lords Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel and Herman van Woerden entered the scene again as part of a conspiracy. Together with Gerard van Velzen they captured count Floris during a hunting party and the count was assassinated. In the aftermath, Gerard van Velzen was killed, and Herman van Woerden went again into exile. In 1300,John II, Count of Holland awarded the Lordship of Woerden to his brotherGuy of Avesnes, who became Bishop of Utrecht the following year. In 1311, Guy returned the Lordship to his nephew,Count William III, and Woerden remained part of Holland thereafter.
Around 1370bailiffWillem II van Naaldwijk [nl] ordered the construction ofdefensive walls and amoat tofortify the city, in order to shield Holland from renewed hostilities with Utrecht. Woerden receivedcity rights fromAlbert I, Duke of Bavaria, and Count of Holland in 1372, even though Woerden was still a small town that harboured no more than about 720 citizens. Around the same time the Petruschurch was built; part of itssteeple still stands. In 1410John III, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing had the castle of Woerden constructed, and in 1510 the city hall was built. These buildings still exist, although the castle was extensively altered and renovated through the years.
On 1 November 1425, Woerden chose the side ofPhilip the Good in theconflict withJacoba van Beieren, after Philip confirmed thetown privileges and promised that theLordship of Woerden would never be separated from the County of Holland by awarding it to someone else. During the reign of theDukes of Burgundy, Philip the Good (1419–1467) andCharles the Bold (1467–1477) Woerden enjoyed an unprecedented period of peace, and by 1477 its population had almost tripled to about 1920. Charles the Bold's death before the gates ofNancy was the prelude to renewed unrest, both with Utrecht and the duchy ofGuelders, and the town suffered economic hardship because of it.
Erasmus probably spent his boyhood from age five to nine in Woeden in the household of his father, the local priest from 1471.[7]
The reign of Charles V was a period of relative peace and prosperity for Woerden, despite religious unrest. In April 1522, Charles V introduced theInquisition in theLow Countries.
Johannes Pistorius Woerdensis (Jan de Bakker), a catholicpriest, was the first preacher in the Northern Netherlands to bemartyred as a direct result of his religious beliefs. His father was asexton in Woerden and also tenant of thebrickworks, and his surname was derived from that profession.
Jan de Bakker was a pupil ofHinne Rode [nl] (Johannes Rhodius), headmaster of St.Jerome School of theBrethren of the Common Life in Utrecht. Rode was a proponent ofSacramentarianism, and in 1520 his father called Jan back to Woerden, perhaps out of concern about those heretic views. Jan transferred toLeuven, and in 1522 completed his education there. He returned to Woerden, wasordained in Utrecht as a priest, and assisted his father as sexton anddeacon.
%2c_Duke_of_Calenberg-G%25C3%25B6ttingen.jpg)
Jan started to spread theheretic views, and in May 1523 he and another priest were arrested by the steward of the castle. After a short while they were released, and it is thought that the two travelled toWittenberg, but there is no evidence he met withMartin Luther. After he returned he continued his preachings, and the conflict with theRoman Catholic Church was further aggravated by the fact that he broke hiscelibacy, and got married. In the night of 9 May 1525, he was arrested and the next day transferred toThe Hague, where he appeared before the Inquisition. He wasdefrocked and sentenced to death, and on 15 September 1525burned at the stake inThe Hague. His widow saved her live by recanting the heresies and lived out her life in anabbey.
The city magistrates of Woerden were tolerant towards the Lutheran confession. In 1566 this resulted in a confrontation with duke Eric of Brunswick, who was Lord of Woerden at that time.
AlthoughEric of Brunswick was raised Lutheran he converted to Catholicism in 1547, much to the regret of his motherElisabeth of Brandenburg. Eric served as commanding officer in the armies ofCharles V andPhilip II, and fought on their side in theSchmalkaldic War (1546–1547) and theFranco-Habsburg War (1551–1559). During theBattle of St. Quentin (1557) he distinguished himself by taking FrenchMarshalsAnne de Montmorency andJacques d'Albon de Saint-André prisoner. These prisoners were very important to Philip II as a bargaining chip during negotiations for the peaceTreaty of Cateau-Cambrésis. In 1558, Philip II grantedDuke Eric of Brunswick theLordship of Woerden as compensation, over the objection of the city magistrates of Woerden who felt that this was an infringement of promises made byPhilip the Good in 1425.
In the wake oficonoclasticriots that swept the country in 1566 a prominent citizen of Woerden, Warnaer Claesz, petitioned the city magistrates to introduce theAugsburg Confession. There was also a disruption of the church worship. As a precaution, the city magistrates removed icons and other valuables from the church and stored them in a safe place, and closed the church. Thecourt of Holland concurred with the actions taken by the city magistrates, but Duke Eric of Brunswick objected. He demanded that Catholic worship would be restored. The city magistrates delayed by questioning his authority in this matter. Duke Eric responded by raising a small army and forced the city magistrates to comply.
Duke Eric was also instrumental in suppressing the ill-fated rebellion ofHendrik van Brederode, Lord ofVianen. After therebel army was defeated in theBattle of Oosterweel (13 March 1567) Eric of Brunswick captured Vianen on May 5, 1567.
In later history, the town saw occupation by the Spanish (1575, 1576) and the French (1672, 1673, and particularly disastrous in 1813).
.jpg)
In 1989, there was a local redrawing of province boundaries as a result of which Woerden found itself transferred fromSouth Holland to theprovince of Utrecht. In 2015, the city's refugee centre formed the scene of a violent attack by 20 hooded people, bearing fireworks and pushing down fences.[9]
Woerden is located at52°5′N4°53′E / 52.083°N 4.883°E /52.083; 4.883 in the west of the province ofUtrecht in the center of theNetherlands.
Woerden is bordered by the municipalities ofDe Ronde Venen (in the north),Stichtse Vecht (northeast),Utrecht (east), andMontfoort (south) in the province of Utrecht andBodegraven-Reeuwijk (southwest) andNieuwkoop (northwest) in the province ofSouth Holland.
The population centers in the municipality areDe Meije,Harmelen,Kamerik,Kanis, Woerden, andZegveld.
Media from Commons
Travel guides from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Woerden | |
|---|---|
Municipalities ofUtrecht | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
