Oegstgeest () is a town and municipality in the province of South Holland 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 ...

. Its population was in .

Etymology

The portion ''geest'' in the name refers to the geest lands, which were excavated in the seventeenth century for the benefit of the urban expansion of

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wi ...

. There exists more uncertainty about the 'Oegst' part. There are various stories. The name was formerly often spelled Oestgeest or Oostgeest, which could indicate the geographical location of the village: east of the geest lands. However, the oldest spelling found in a copy of a list of goods of the St. Martin's Cathedral in

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 ...

from the tenth century states Osgeresgeest. This could indicate an original resident and owner of the territory: Osger. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

they also spoke of the Church of Kerckwerve if one referred to the Oegstgeester parish church (now the Green Church).

History

Oegstgeest is one of the earliest inhabited places along the coast. Evidence of a Batavian settlement from the second century was found in 1946 in an extension of a coastal dune in the Elgeesterpolder, although it is not certain whether this location remained permanently inhabited in the centuries after that. By the 9th century, there was already a little church in the same location as the current Little Green Church (''Groen Kerkje'') which, according to legend, was dedicated by

Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands. He became the first bishop of Utrecht and died at Echternach, Luxembourg. Early life His fath ...

. The existence of this church is an indication that there may have been a community there. From the 11th to the 14th century, Oegstgeest enjoyed a period of progress. This ended when

was granted city rights. The carrying out of trades and construction were no longer permitted within a certain distance from the city. In 1399, the heerlijkheid of Oegstgeest and that of Poelgeest were merged because their declining populations could no longer afford to pay the required taxes to the Count of Holland. Until the 19th century the boundary of Oegstgeest extended right to the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

s and moats of Leiden. But in the 19th and 20th century, it conceded more and more of its territory to the rapidly expanding city of Leiden. Before the early 20th century, Oegstgeest had a rural character and did not have a centre of population. It consisted of several unconnected smaller settlements. Only after 1900 were new neighbourhoods built between the settlements. First Wilhelminapark was built, followed by Prins Hendrikpark (circa 1915), Buitenlust or Indische Buurt (1925), Julianapark, Oranjepark, and Emmapark (1920-1950), and Grunerie and the area between Emmalaan and Lange Voort (1950s). In the 1980s and 1990s, the Haaswijk and Morsebel neighbourhoods were built, followed by Poelgeest in the 2000s. In 2006 construction started on a new neighbourhood, Nieuw Rhijngeest. Gem-Oegstgeest-OpenTopo

Geography

The municipality of Oegstgeest covers an area of of which is water. Oegstgeest lies just to the north of

, with which it is conjoined in a conurbation and formed the Leiden region. Oegstgeest is a separate municipality, but it is effectively a suburb of Leiden. The municipality of

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 ...

is to the west, the municipality of Teylingen to the north, the Kaag Lakes ( Kagerplassen) to the northeast and

Leiderdorp Leiderdorp () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland near the city of Leiden. It had a population of in . The municipality covers an area of of which is water. Leiderdorp has now become a suburb ...

to the east.

Sports

Oegstgeest has 2 soccer clubs: FC Oegstgeest and ASC. At the latter cricket is also played. FIKS is the local korfball team. At LOHC hockey is played and the neighbouring OLTC (founded 1886) is the tennis club of the municipality. Oegstgeest has one

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

club called VCO.

Notable people

Gustaaf Schlegel Gustaaf Schlegel (30 September 184015 October 1903) was a Dutch sinologist and field naturalist. E. Bruce Brooks (9 June 2004)Gustaaf Schlegel, Sinology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, retrieved 17 September 2011 Life and career Gustaaf S ...

(1840 in Oegstgeest – 1903) a Dutch sinologist and field naturalist * Jan van Gilse (1881-1944 in Oegstgeest) a Dutch composer and conductor * Carel Polak (1909–1981 in Oegstgeest) a Dutch politician and jurist * Johan Ferrier (1910–2010 in Oegstgeest) a Surinamese politician, the first President of Suriname 1975 to 1980 * Kees Bol (1916 in Oegstgeest – 2009) a Dutch painter and art educator *

Edzo Toxopeus Edzo Hendrik Toxopeus (19 February 1918 – 23 August 2009) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and jurist. Toxopeus studied Law at the Utrecht University obtaining a Master of Laws degree ...

(1918 – 2009 in Oegstgeest) a Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist * Dick Blok (1925 in Oegstgeest – 2019) a Dutch scholar of onomastics *

Jan Wolkers Jan Hendrik Wolkers (26 October 1925 – 19 October 2007) was a Dutch author, sculptor and painter. Wolkers is considered by some to be one of the "Great Four" writers of post-World War II Dutch literature, alongside Willem Frederik Hermans, Ha ...

(1925 in Oegstgeest - 2007) a Dutch author, sculptor and painter * Aad Kosto (born 1938 in Oegstgeest) a retired Dutch politician and jurist * Ram Lakhina (born 1939) an Indian entrepreneur and community leader, lives in Oegstgeest * Hans Blokland (born 1943 in Oegstgeest) a former Dutch politician and former MEP *

Harold Goddijn Harold Goddijn (born April 23, 1960) is the CEO of the Dutch consumer/business electronics company TomTom since 2001. Early life and education He studied Economics at the University of Amsterdam from 1982 till 1986. Early career Goddijn s ...

(born 1960 in Oegstgeest) CEO of the Dutch electronics company

TomTom TomTom N.V. is a Dutch multinational developer and creator of location technology and consumer electronics. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom released its first generation of satellite navigation devices to market in 2004. ...

Theo Maassen Theodorus Wilhelmus (Theo) Maassen (born 8 December 1966 in Oegstgeest, South Holland) is a Dutch comedian and actor who grew up in the village of Zijtaart (municipality of Veghel) in the Dutch province of North Brabant. He currently lives i ...

(born 1966 in Oegstgeest) a Dutch comedian and actor *

Diederik Stapel Diederik Alexander Stapel (born 19 October 1966) is a Dutch former professor of social psychology at Tilburg University. In 2011 Tilburg University suspended Stapel for fabricating and manipulating data for his research publications. This scie ...

(born 1966), professor known for fabricating research data(PDF) Changes in publication culture and the Stapel fraud case , ruud abma - Academia.edu
/ref> Smeets Jan

Sport

* Boudewijn Binkhorst (born 1942 in Oegstgeest) a sailor, competed at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

Freek van de Graaff Frederik Robbert "Freek" van de Graaff (20 February 1944 – 24 June 2009) was a Dutch rower who won a bronze medal in the coxed fours at the 1964 Summer Olympics. His team mates were Marius Klumperbeek (cox), Lex Mullink, Bobbie van de Graaf ...

(1944 in Oegstgeest – 2009) a Dutch rower, team bronze medallist at the 1964 Summer Olympics * Jan Smeets (born 1985 in Oegstgeest) a Dutch chess grandmaster

Gallery

File:Klein Curium.jpg, Klein Curium File:Oegstgeest - 2010 - panoramio (1).jpg, Oegstgeest File:Torenvelt.jpg, Torenvelt File:Hoofdgebouw Rhijngeest.JPG, Hoofdgebouw Rhijngeest

References

External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland