Nieuwegein | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Canal through Nieuwegein | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
.svg) Location in Utrecht | |
| Coordinates:52°2′N5°5′E / 52.033°N 5.083°E /52.033; 5.083 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Utrecht |
| Established | 1 July 1971 |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Marijke van Beukering (D66) |
| Area | |
• Total | 25.65 km2 (9.90 sq mi) |
| • Land | 23.51 km2 (9.08 sq mi) |
| • Water | 2.14 km2 (0.83 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1 m (3.3 ft) |
| Population (January 2021)[4] | |
• Total | 63,866 |
| • Density | 2,717/km2 (7,040/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Nieuwegeiner |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 3430–3439 |
| Area code | 030 |
| Website | www |
 | |
Nieuwegein (Dutch pronunciation:[ˌniu.əˈɣɛin]ⓘ) is a municipality and city in theDutch province ofUtrecht. It is bordered on the north by the city ofUtrecht, the provincial capital. It is separated fromVianen to the south by the riverLek and borders onIJsselstein in the southwest andHouten in the east. Nieuwegein has 64,606 inhabitants as of 1 December 2021.
Several national sports federations are housed in Nieuwegein, including theNeVoBo (volleyball),KNZB (swimming), NBb (basketball) andKNCB (cricket).
There are three mainsecondary schools in the city, including theAnna van Rijn College, Oosterlicht College and the Cals College.
Nieuwegein was founded on 1 July 1971 as aplanned city, following the merger of the former municipalities ofJutphaas andVreeswijk. The new town was built for the expanding population of the city of Utrecht, and grew rapidly during the decades following its foundation.
In the area between Jutphaas and Vreeswijk there used to be a settlement called Geyne (Gein). This settlement received city rights in 1295 but was destroyed in 1333, in a war between the Bishop of Utrecht and the Count of Holland. Today only Oudegein House remains from that time. After the boards of Vreeswijk and Jutphaas had debated for some time about the name of the new municipality, they decided to name it after this old settlement - Nieuwegein meaning 'New Gein'.
As of 2016, 50.7% of the population consider themselves religious. The largest denomination areCatholics, which are 27.5% of the population, followed by various Protestant denominations (23.8%), and Islam (5.3%). 14.3% of the Nieuwegein population attends religious service regularly.[5]
As of 2017, Nieuwegein has a poverty rate of 4.7% compared to the 5.7% national average.[6]
Nieuwegein is surrounded by threemotorways (Dutch:autosnelweg), theA2 to the west, theA12 to the north and theA27 to the east.
Nieuwegein is connected to Utrecht and IJsselstein by theSneltram (light rail) line. There is apedestrian ferry across the river Lek to Vianen. Threecanals flow through Nieuwegein: theAmsterdam-Rhine Canal, theLek River and theMerwede Canal.
In Nieuwegein, there is amandi (Mandaean temple) calledVereniging Mandi van de Mandeeërs Gemeenschap in Nederland.[7]
Puławy,Lublin Voivodeship,Poland, was atwin town of Nieuwegein from 1994 to 2020. In July 2020, after Puławy installed agay-free zone, Nieuwegein ended the partnership.[8]
Rundu,Kavango East Region,Namibia, is atwin town of Nieuwegein since 1994. Because of the current state ofgay rights in Namibia, the city council is debating on continuing the partnership.[9]
Media related toNieuwegein at Wikimedia CommonsPlaces adjacent to Nieuwegein | |
|---|---|
Municipalities ofUtrecht | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
