Bunschoten () is a municipality and a town in the

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

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

. It lies about 7 km north of

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...

. Its territory comprises the original municipality of Bunschoten (created in 1204 by the bishop of Utrecht) and the former municipality of Duyst, De Haar and Zevenhuizen, which was a part of Hoogland from 1854 until 1971.

History

Bunschoten was first named in 1294. It was located on the border between

and

Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

, and it suffered a number of times from invasions from Guelders. In 1383, the

bishop of Utrecht List of bishops and archbishops of the diocese and archdioceses of Utrecht. Medieval diocese from 695 to 1580 Founders of the Utrecht diocese * * * * * Bishops * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

gave Bunschoten

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

, which allowed the citizens to build an earthen wall around the town. The fortifications and a part of the town were destroyed at Christmas 1427 in a war between two rival bishops, and were never rebuilt.

Population centres

The municipality of Bunschoten consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts:

Notable people

* Bert Groen (born 1945) a Dutch politician, former Mayor of Bunschoten * Melis van de Groep (born 1958 in Bunschoten) a Dutch politician, Mayor of Bunschoten since 2006 * Job Koelewijn (born 1962 in Spakenburg) a Dutch conceptual artist, sculptor, installation artist, performance artist and photographer * Gijsbert Van Bismarck (born 1973 in Spakenburg) a retired footballer with over 150 club caps *

Kevin van Diermen Kevin van Diermen (born 3 July 1989) is a Dutch former professional footballer who plays as a centre back. Club career He formerly played for Vitesse, who loaned him for six months to Go Ahead Eagles, Excelsior and NAC, where he joined his f ...

(born 1989 in Spakenburg) a Dutch professional footballer with over 200 club caps * Aileen de Graaf (born 1990 in Spakenburg) a Dutch darts player playing in the

British Darts Organisation The British Darts Organisation (BDO) was a darts organisation founded on 7 January 1973 by Olly Croft. Made up of 66 member counties, it oversaw professional, semi-professional and amateur darts competitions in Britain. The BDO was a founder ...

.http://www.aileendegraaf.com/

Gallery

File:Old boat warf of Spakenburg (Netherlands 2013) (10495619443).jpg, Old boat wharf of Spakenburg, 2013 File:Rebuild (2009) flourmill De Hoop from 1899 at Bunschoten-Spakenburg - panoramio.jpg, Rebuild (2009) flourmill De Hoop from 1899 at Bunschoten-Spakenburg File:Eem river at Eemdijk in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands. Looking north. - panoramio.jpg, Eem river at Eemdijk, looking north. File:Fishingboat at the Dock in Bunschoten during Sunset - panoramio.jpg, Fishingboat at the Dock in Bunschoten at sunset File:Alice versus de Koning Peter de Leeuwe Bunschoten-Spakenburg.jpg, Alice versus de Koning Peter de Leeuwe Bunschoten-Spakenburg

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of Utrecht (province) Populated places in Utrecht (province)