Alphen aan den Rijn (; en, "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, in the province of

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the river

Gouwe Gouwe is a hamlet in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Opmeer Opmeer (; West Frisian: ''Opmar'' or ''Obmar'') is a municipality and town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region ...

branches off. The municipality had a population of in , and covers an area of of which is water. The municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn also includes the communities of

Aarlanderveen Aarlanderveen is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn, and lies about 4 km east of Alphen aan den Rijn. Aarlanderveen was a peat excavation settlement which developed in t ...

Zwammerdam Zwammerdam is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland along Oude Rijn river. It is a part of the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn, and lies about 6 km southeast of Alphen aan de Rijn. The name derives from a dam built in the Rhin ...

, and

Boskoop Boskoop () is a town in the province of South Holland. It was a separate municipality until it merged into Alphen aan den Rijn in 2014. The town had a population of 15,050 in 2012 and covers an area of of which is water. It's the world's bigge ...

. The city is located in what is called the ' Green Heart' of the Netherlands, which is a somewhat less densely populated centre area of the

Randstad The Randstad (; "Rim" or "Edge" City) is a roughly crescent-shaped conurbation in the central-western Netherlands, consisting primarily of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht); their suburbs, and many tow ...

. The name "Alphen" is probably derived from the name of the

Roman fort In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

'' Albaniana'', meaning "settlement at the white water". Its remains still lie underneath the city centre.

History

The area around Alphen aan den Rijn has been inhabited for 2000 years. In the Roman era, the Oude Rijn was the main branch of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

River and formed the north border of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

. Since the rule of Emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor ...

(41–54 AD), divisions of the Roman army were stationed here. Consequently, several Roman fortifications were located along the Oude Rijn, including castellum ''Albanianae'' in the centre of Alphen. The Romans had also built the first bridge over the Oude Rijn. Alphen was therefore an important commercial site in the area until Germanic raids ended that in 240 AD. After recurring problems with flooding, especially in Utrecht and Leiden, the Oude Rijn was dammed at

Wijk bij Duurstede Wijk bij Duurstede () is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. Population centres * Cothen * Langbroek *Wijk bij Duurstede Topography ''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Wijk bij Duurstede, 2013.'' City The city ...

in 1122, thereby making the

Lek River The Lek () is a river in the western Netherlands of some in length. It is the continuation of the Nederrijn after the Kromme Rijn branches off at the town of Wijk bij Duurstede. The main westbound waterway is hereafter called the Lek River. The ...

the main branch of the Rhine. The Oude Rijn has not flooded since. During the Middle Ages, Alphen was a

fiefdom A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...

called Alphen en Rietveld. Hefbrug over de Gouwe bij Alphen aan den Rijn

In the 17th century, Alphen became prominent again as a hub for commerce. The Oude Rijn was used for boat traffic; there are still portions along the river where the

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport w ...

is present. The current municipality was formed in 1918 through the amalgamation of the smaller municipalities of Alphen,

, and

Oudshoorn Oudshoorn is a former village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of South Holland. It was located on the Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn, opposite the village of Alphen (South Holland), Alphen, with which it merged to form the cit ...

. In 1964, the municipality of Zwammerdam was added as well. In 2014 the municipalities of

and

Rijnwoude Rijnwoude () was a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covered an area of of which was water. Rijnwoude was formed in 1991 as Rijneveld through the merger of the former municipalities of ...

were amalgamated as well, doubling the land area and increasing the population to over 100,000. During the Second World War, the majority of Jews from Alphen were deported and subsequently murdered; only a few survived. After the war, the Jewish congregation was disbanded and merged with the one in Leiden. A Jewish cemetery on the Aarkade was founded in 1802, but it was abandoned and razed in the 1960s, with the remains re-interred in

Katwijk Katwijk (), also spelled Katwyk, is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands. The Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and into the North Se ...

; in 2012, after fifteen years of community activism by local historian Anke Bakker and CDA council member Alice Besseling, a monument was installed and the area turned into a city park. Since the 1950s, the city began to grow rapidly. A large new neighbourhood was built on the north side and Alphen became mostly a commuter city. Other urban developments however did create local employment. Since the 1990s, a similar new development was built at the city's south side. Adventskerk,_Alphen_aan_den_Rijn_03

In recent years, a large part of the city centre has undergone a full urban renewal. Many buildings from the 1950s and earlier have been demolished to make place for modern architecture. This "masterplan" included the addition of a new public square next to the riverbank, the construction of a performing arts theatre/

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

, an upgrade of local shops and the creation of pedestrian streets. As of 2006, all of these projects on the left riverbank ''Hoge Zijde'' have been finished and a new similar masterplan for the right riverbank ''Lage Zijde'' has been developed and is being executed now. On 9 April 2011, a gunman opened fire at a shopping centre in Alphen aan den Rijn, killing six people and subsequently taking his own life. On 3 August 2015, a newly built bridge flap of the under-renovation Juliana Bridge on the Oude Rijn collapsed. It was being hoisted by two

cranes Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname ...

, different in size, floating on a pontoon that was not stabilized. It became unbalanced shortly after the lifting started, fell and collapsed onto buildings. There were no injuries and fatalities, many inhabitants having already cleared the area. In total 51 properties were damaged.

Demographics

* Native

Dutch people The Dutch (Dutch language, Dutch: ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the Netherlands. They share a common history and culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, ...

: 78,8% * Other European people and second-generation descendants: 9,5% *

Turkish people The Turkish people, or simply the Turks ( tr, Türkler), are the world's largest Turkic ethnic group; they speak various dialects of the Turkish language and form a majority in Turkey and Northern Cyprus. In addition, centuries-old ethnic ...

: 1.3% *

Moroccan people Moroccans (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Kingdom of Morocco. The country's population is predominantly composed of Arabs and Berbers (Amazigh). The term also applies more broadly to any people who are of Moroccan nationality, sh ...

: 2.7% *

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the nor ...

se people: 1.8% * People from the

Netherlands Antilles nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom" , national_anthem = , common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento , demonym = Netherlands Antillean , capital = Willemstad , year_start = 1954 , year_end = 2010 , date_start = 15 December , ...

and

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of P ...

: 0.9 * Other non-natives: 5%

Tourism

Alphen aan den Rijn has the following attractions: * Avifauna Bird Park – the world's first dedicated bird park, opened in 1950. * Archeon – an archeological park about Dutch History, with ruins and reenactments, including 43

replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...

buildings from prehistoric, Roman, and Medieval eras. It opened in 1994. *Zegersloot Recreation Park – park with an artificial lake, popular for hiking, cycling, windsurfing, wakeboarding and water skiing.

Events

* 20 van Alphen – International 20 kilometres run. Held every year (since 1952) on the second Sunday of March. The 2006 event was marked by a world record when

Haile Gebrselassie Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champions ...

posted a time of 1 hour 11 minutes 37 seconds for 25 km. This was his 22nd world record breaking performance. * Year market – third Wednesday in September. Regional products. * Lakeside Festival – end of August. Music festival near ''Zegersloot''. * Old timer day – second Saturday of September. Old cars, tractors, steam engines. * LAURA – four-day bicycle event Leiden, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Alphen aan den Rijn which is the start and finish place, is held the first week of July. * Tean International – Challenger level

ATP Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organ ...

tennis tournament, played at the Alphense Tennis Club, from 30 August to 8 September 2008. * Midwinter Fair and Midzomer Fair –

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

festivals at the Archeon. * Vakantiespel – One of the largest events for children between 6 and 12-year-old in the Netherlands. Held every year in August.

Public transport

The town is served by

Alphen aan den Rijn railway station Alphen a/d Rijn railway station is a railway station in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands. History The railway station was opened in 1878, as part of a railway connection between Leiden and Woerden. A connection between Alphen aan den Rijn and Uit ...

. It is just south east of the town centre. The bus station is located near the railway station. Trains which head towards Alphen aan den Rijn railway station are notorious for not always opening their doors to passengers.

Politics

In total, there are 11 parties in the city council that consists of 35 councillors.

Liesbeth Spies Jantje Wilhelmina Elisabeth "Liesbeth" Spies (born 6 April 1966) is a Dutch politician. A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), she has served as Mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn since 2014. She served as Minister of the Interior and Kin ...

of the CDA is the current acting mayor. The council of mayor and alderman run the city on a day-to-day basis and report to the city council. Current (2016) aldermen in Alphen aan den Rijn are: * M.H. du Chatinier (

ChristenUnie The Christian Union ( nl, ChristenUnie, CU) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. The CU is a centrist party, maintaining more progressive stances on economic, immigration and environmental issues while holding more socially ...

) * C.J. van Velzen (CDA) * G. van As (Nieuw Elan) * T. Hoekstra (VVD) * H. de Jager (CDA) * E. de Leest (D66 - since 21-04-2016 instead of W.J. Stegeman)

Economy

The information and publishing company

Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer N.V. () is a Dutch information services company. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands (Global) and Philadelphia, United States (corporate). Wolters Kluwer in its current form was founded in 1987 with a m ...

is based in Alphen aan den Rijn.

Notable natives

* Quirijn van Brekelenkam (1622/29 in Zwammerdam – 1669/79) a Dutch Baroque genre painter * George Pieter Willem Boers (1811 in Hazerswoude – 1884) an East Indies Army colonel and Governor of the Dutch Gold Coast * J.C. Bloem (1887 Oudshoorn – 1966) a Dutch poet and essayist * Maartje Offers (1891 in Koudekerk – 1944) a Dutch classical contralto singer *

Lykele Faber Lykele Faber, also given as Lijkele Faber ( Koudekerk aan den Rijn, 14 September 1919 - Vernon, British Columbia, 3 October 2009) was a Dutch commando and radio operator during World War II. He took part in the Battle of Arnhem and helped organize t ...

(1919 in Koudekerk - 2009) a Dutch resistance commando and radio operator * Roel van den Broek (born 1931) a Dutch religious scholar and academic * Matthijs van Heijningen (born 1944) a Dutch film producer * Bas Eenhoorn (born 1946) a politician and management consultant, Mayor of Alpen 2010–2012 * Harald Prins (born 1951) a Dutch

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms an ...

, ethnohistorian and filmmaker *

Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg Marian Bakermans-Kranenburg (born 19 June 1965) is a Dutch psychologist focused attachment and emotion regulation in parents and their children, with special emphasis on the neurobiological processes involved in parenting and development. She is cu ...

(born 1965) a scientist and academic focused on pedagogy and family relations *

(born 1966) a Dutch politician, Mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn since 2014 * Abid Tounssi (born 1981) stage name ''

Salah Edin Abid Tounssi, known by his stage name Salah Edin (born 23 June 1980), is a Dutch Moroccan ex-rapper and actor. Biography Salah Edin gained recognition as a rapper (first in Arabic, then also in Dutch) in the 1990s and broke through to a larger au ...

'', a Dutch Moroccan rapper and actor IMDb Database
retrieved 15 February 2020

Sport

* Wim Schouten (1878–1941) a sailor, competed at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated fro ...

* Petrus Wernink (1895 in Oudshoorn – 1971) a sailor, competed at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

Tom Okker Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

(born 1944 in Hazerswoude) a Dutch former tennis player, world No. 3 in 1974 * Dido Havenaar (born 1957 in Hazerswoude) a former Japanese football player with 302 club caps *

Bettine Vriesekoop Hubertina Petronella Maria "Bettine" Vriesekoop (born 13 August 1961) is a former table tennis player from the Netherlands. She was European champion in 1982 and 1992 individually and in 1982 in mixed doubles. She competed at the 1988, 1992 and 1 ...

(born 1961 in Hazerswoude) a former table tennis player * Ron van Teylingen (born 1967 in Boskoop) is a sailor, competed at the

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

and

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* Hans Nieuwenburg (born 1968 in Koudekerk) a former water polo defender, competed in two Summer Olympics *

Wouter van Pelt Wouter van Pelt (born 23 April 1968 in Alphen aan den Rijn) is a former Dutch field hockey player, who played 236 international matches for the Netherlands, in which he scored 21 goals. The defender made his debut for the Dutch on 27 March 1989 ...

(born 1968) a former Dutch field hockey player, with 236 international caps * Peter van Niekerk (born 1971 in Hazerswoude) a sailor, competed at the

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

and

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

* Arjan van Heusden (born 1972) a Dutch former football goalkeeper with 206 club caps *

Mark van der Zijden Mark Richard van der Zijden (born 22 October 1973 in Boskoop, South Holland) is a former freestyle swimming, freestyle and medley swimming, medley swimmer from the Netherlands, who swam in the qualifying heats of the bronze winning 4×200 m ...

(born 1973 in Boskoop) a former freestyle swimmer, team bronze medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

* Evert-Jan 't Hoen (born 1975) a Dutch baseball player, competed in three Summer Olympics * Wilbert Pennings (born 1975) a Dutch high jumper, competed in the

Jeannette Pennings Jeannette Pennings (born 7 October 1977 in Alphen aan den Rijn) is a Dutch bobsledder and track and field athlete. The high jumper Wilbert Pennings is her brother. She started with international bobsleigh competitions in 1999. She is the runner ...

(born 1977) a Dutch bobsledder and track and field athlete *

Martin Verkerk Martin Willem Verkerk (born 31 October 1978) is a retired professional Dutch tennis player. He reached the final of the French Open in 2003 and achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 14 in September 2003. During his career he won two ATP ...

(born 1978 in Leiderdorp) a retired professional Dutch tennis player * John Heitinga (born 1983) a Dutch football coach and former player with 324 club caps *

Noël van Klaveren Noël van Klaveren (born 27 November 1995 in Alphen aan den Rijn) is a Dutch artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the F ...

(born 1995) a Dutch artistic gymnast *

Jelle Sels Jelle Sels (born 10 August 1995) is a Dutch tennis player. Sels competes mainly in the Challenger tour circuit. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 127 achieved on 28 November 2022. He also has a career high doubles ranking of ...

(born 1995) a Dutch tennis player * Thijs Timmermans (born 1998) a Dutch football player

Gallery

File:Alphen aan den Rijn - De Eendracht.jpg, Alphen aan den Rijn - De Eendracht File:Oude-Rijn aanleg Alpen Centr..JPG, Oude Rijn quayside Alphen Centrum File:Rietveld bij Hazerswoude-Dorp.jpg, Rietveld bij Hazerswoude-Dorp File:Oudshoornse_Kerk_Alphen_aan_den_Rijn_2.jpg, Oudshoornse Kerk

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alphen Aan Den Rijn Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Roman sites in the Netherlands Germania Inferior Holocaust locations in the Netherlands