Naarden () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

Gooi The Gooi () is an area around Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants, and its villas. The Gooi is known in the Netherlan ...

region in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of North Holland,

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 ...

. It has been part of the new municipality of

Gooise Meren Gooise Meren () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. It has about 56,000 inhabitants and covers an area of about . Gooise Meren has existed since 2016. It is a merger of the former municipalities of Bussum, Muiden, ...

since 2016.

History

Naarden was granted its city rights in 1300 (the only town in the Gooi with these rights) and later developed into a fortified garrison town with a textile industry. Naarden is an example of a star fort, complete with fortified walls and a moat. The moat and walls have been restored on numerous occasions, most notably during the French era (1795-1814). After the Battle of Leipzig (1813), the Netherlands were liberated by an allied force of Dutch, Prussian and Russian armies. During this period, Naarden was besieged for months since the French commander didn't believe that Napoleon was captured. In May 1814, the French soldiers left the city in a retreat with honour (see

Siege of Naarden (1813-1814) A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterize ...

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinization (literature), Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech Philosophy, philosopher, Ped ...

, 17th century Moravian born Czech educator was buried in the city, and his mausoleum is open for visitors. Despite its earlier importance, Naarden's population was surpassed by Hilversum in the 18th century and today it is smaller than its neighbour

Bussum Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the province of North Holland in the Netherlands near Hilversum. Since 2016, Bussum has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren. Bussum had ...

. The city's distinctive shape made it a rallying point for Allied bombers returning to England after raids on Germany. Naarden was a separate municipality until 2015. On 1 January 2016, the municipality of Naarden merged with

Muiden Muiden () is a city and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek. Since 2016, Muiden has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Mere ...

and

to form the new municipality of

Economy

The company Stork B.V. had its head office in Naarden.

Geography

The city of Naarden is located in the municipality of

in the west of the

. It is situated in the

region in the southeast of the province of North Holland.

Attractions

Naarden is the home of the

Dutch Fortress Museum The Dutch Fortress Museum (Nederlands Vestingmuseum) is located in the city of Naarden, The Netherlands. The Museum was established by volunteers in 1955 at bastion Turfpoort, one of six bastions that give the walled city its distinctive star sha ...

(''Nederlands Vestingmuseum''). Naarden hosts the bi-annual Naarden Photo Festival and, on Good Friday, a performance of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

's St. Matthew Passion in the local church, which is called the Great Church or St. Vitus Church. The Great Church, Naarden

The Great Church (''Grote Kerk'') in Marktstraat dates from the 15th century. Prior to the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

it was named for St. Vitus. It is one of the oldest surviving churches in The Netherlands, having had the good fortune to survive the Spanish invasion of 1572 and the subsequent burning of the town. The church has numerous wooden vaults that are painted with scenes from the Old and

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

s. These were hidden for many years and were only rediscovered in a recent restoration. The church is the venue for a number of cultural activities such as organ music nights and the bi-annual Naarden Photo festival. The Spanish House, Naarden

The Spanish House (''Spaanse Huis''), situated at Turfpoortstraat 27, was originally a church building converted to house migrants. In 1572 Spanish troops conducted a massacre of some 700 inhabitants who had gathered to hear a peace proposal. The Spanish then fired on the assembled citizens, and went on to set fire to the town. A plaque above the lintel of the door and below the eaves commemorates the massacre. In 1615, after the population had reestablished itself, they built the city hall on the site. Part of the building was given over to De Waag (The Scales House), the municipal office entrusted with the verification of weights and measures. The building later served a French garrison as a bakery, turning out over 1000 loaves per day. From 1967 until 1992 it served as the Comenius museum. Today, the historic building serves as the Weegschaal Museum. Naarden is also the place where John Amos Comenius is buried in a mausoleum on Klooster straat. This place receives many visitors from Czechia, where he was born. Comenius is known as the inventor of our school system with grades and different classes.

Transport

The nearest station is Naarden-Bussum railway station, which has services to Almere,

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- ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

and

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 ...

Notable residents

Nordin Amrabat Noureddine "Nordin" Amrabat ( ar, نورالدين أمرابط, ber, ⵏⵓⵓⵔⴷⴷⵉⵏ ⴰⵎⵔⴰⴱⴰⵜ; born 31 March 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Greek Super League club AEK Athens. Amrabat played ...

(born 1987), football player * Willem Arondeus (1894–1943), professional artist, author and Dutch Resistance member *

Tom Coronel Tom Romeo Coronel (born 5 April 1972) is a Dutch professional racing driver. Tom's twin brother Tim is also a racer, just like their father Tom Coronel Sr. His most important results are winning the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 race in 1997, th ...

(born 1972), racing driver * Maarten de Bruijn (born 1965), product designer * Annemarie Groen (born 1955), backstroke swimmer * Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann (born 1923), art historian * Tom van 't Hek (born 1958), field hockey player and coach * Frank Martin (1890–1974), Swiss composer who lived in Naarden from 1954 * Bertil Schmüll (born 1946), engraver *

Salomon van Ruysdael Salomon van Ruysdael (c. 1602, Naarden – buried 3 November 1670, Haarlem) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. He was the uncle of Jacob van Ruisdael.

(~1602–1670), painter * Jacob Spiers (born 1987), anthropologist and professional jump rope athlete

References

External links

*
Official website

A view on the old city of Naarden
{{Authority control Geography of Gooise Meren Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2016 Cities in the Netherlands Fortifications in the Netherlands Fortified settlements Star forts 1300 establishments in Europe