Mijdrecht | |
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| Coordinates:52°12′26″N4°51′34″E / 52.20722°N 4.85944°E /52.20722; 4.85944 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Utrecht |
| Municipality | De Ronde Venen |
| Population (2019)[1] | 16,005 |
| • Density | 845/km2 (2,190/sq mi) |
Mijdrecht is a town in theNetherlands with about 16,000 residents.[1] It is located in themunicipality ofDe Ronde Venen, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the mainA2 motorway, betweenUtrecht andAmsterdam.
The main street is the Dorpstraat, where most shops and the municipal offices are located. There is a police office, a fire department, 6 supermarkets, sport facilities, and a coffee shop. There is no police or doctor at the weekends.
In 1085 the parish of Mijdrecht, together with those ofWilnis,Tamen,Zevenhoven enKudelstaart, was granted to the Deaconate of St. John (Proosdij van Sint-Jan), byConrad, thePrince-bishop of Utrecht, in return for a depot in theHolland-Utrecht border region and the guarantee that the deaconate would develop the rugged terrain for habitation.[2]1085 is the year taken as the founding of the municipality of Mijdrecht.
In 1815, soon after theFrench-Batavian period, the mayor of Mijdrecht, Hendrikus Abraham van Doorn van Noordscharwoude, submitted a questionnaire to the Minister of War. The questionnaire, about local conditions, reported a population of 3,000, including 5 carpenters, 2 smiths, 1brazier, 2 brick-layers, 6 bakers, 8 tailors, and 6cobblers.[3]
Most parts of the town (like Hofland-Noord and Molenland) were built after 1980.
In 1989 the municipality of Mijdrecht was merged intoDe Ronde Venen.[4]
The city has continued to grow through "Wickelhof I and II" expansions.
During the early 20th Century, Mijdrecht was a growing community. In 1925, the then-municipality of Mijdrecht had a population of 4,506,[5] which grew to 4,618 in 1940.[6]In 1950, the population of the municipality had grown to 5,379.[7]In 1988, the last year that Mijdrecht was a separate municipality, the municipality population was 16,414.[8]
In recent years, Mijdrecht has had a declining population. In 2016 it had a population of 15,230, compared to 15,865 in 2010. This decline is particular in the 0-15 and 25-45 age ranges, with children (0-15) declining from 18% of the population in 2010 to 16% in 2016, and mid-range adults (25-45) declining from 25% in 2010 to 22% in 2016. By contrast, the percentage of seniors (65+) has grown from 14% in 2010 to 18% in 2016.[9][10]
Mijdrecht consists of a downtown center around the Dorpstraat, and a number of planned residential neighborhoods, of which Proostdijland is the oldest.
| Neighborhoods (wijken) | Population (2019)[11] |
|---|---|
| Bedrijventerrein Mijdrecht | 170 |
| Hofland | 3,600 |
| Mijdrecht Dorp | 1,450 |
| Molenland | 3,200 |
| Proostdijland | 3,590 |
| Twistvlied-Wickelhof | 3,105 |
| Total | 15,115 |
The rural area around the town is home to another 880 inhabitants.[11]
Ever since the mergers of the municipalities of Mijdrecht, Wilnis, and Vinkeveen/Waverveen in 1989, Mijdrecht has been governed by the Municipality ofDe Ronde Venen.[4][12] The municipality is governed by aMunicipal Council (Dutch:gemeenteraad) presently consisting of 27 councillors.[13]
Day-to-day executive administration is performed by thecouncil of mayor and aldermen (Dutch:college van burgemeester en wethouders). The mayor, Maarten Divendal, was appointed by the crown on 22 November 2011. The remainder of the council consists of three aldermen and the municipal secretary, who heads the municipal administration.[14][15]
Mijdrecht is the location for the Dutch branch ofS. C. Johnson & Son, where it is housed in an office building designed byHugh Maaskant on the Groot-Mijdrechtstraat.[16]
The following numbers of businesses by sector were reported byStatistics Netherlands for 2016:[9]
| Businesses by sector | Quantity |
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| Total | 1,590 |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing | 10 |
| Industry and energy | 265 |
| Trade and catering | 395 |
| Transportation, information, and communication | 140 |
| Business services | 440 |
| Culture, recreation, and other | 150 |
Mijdrecht has seven elementary schools, one in nearly all of the residential neighborhoods. A number of these are public, Catholic and Protestant.[17]
| School | Neighborhood | Denomination |
|---|---|---|
| De Fontein | Proostdijland | Protestant |
| Driehuis | Molenland | Catholic |
| De Windroos | Proostdijland | Catholic |
| Hofland | Hofland-Zuid | Catholic |
| De Twister | Molenland | Public |
| De Eendracht | Hofland-Zuid | Public |
There is one high/secondary school called Veenlanden College. The Mijdrecht campus of the school contains around 1500 students inMAVO,HAVO andAtheneum levels.[18]
Mijdrecht is home to thefootball andbasketball clubSV Argon, which was created after a merger of three football clubs in Mijdrecht and Wilnis in 1971.[19]
From 1982 until 2012, Mijdrecht was the location for an annual national festival called AJOC (Algemene Jongeren Ontspannings Club - General Youth Recreation Club).[20][21][22]
In 1937, the provincial almanac of Utrecht reported Mijdrecht having a population of 4,717, of whom 1,838 wereRoman Catholic, 1,646Dutch Reformed, 877Reformed, and 136 not being members of a church.[23]Currently, there are numerous protestant churches, of various denominations and one Catholic Church.There was also a synagogue on the Kerkweg.
Presently, Mijdrecht also has aMuslim community with a mosque, the Hakyol Moskee in Twistvlied. The Hakyol Mosque shares an address with the Veenhartkerk, aChristian Reformed church.
Media related toMijdrecht at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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