Spijkenisse () is a city 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 out ...

of South 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 ...

. Following an administrative reform in 2015, it is part of the

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 ...

of Nissewaard, and has a population of 72,500. It covers an area of of which is water. It is part of the Greater Rotterdam area.

History

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Spijkenisse has been inhabited for several thousand years. The area's prehistoric inhabitants depended on fishing in the Maas and hunting in the surrounding swamps for sustenance. Spijkenisse also has an anthem, the song is called "Spijkenisse" by Rik Hoogendoorn. The song was released in 2012 and is very popular amongst people who live in Spijkenisse. The oldest known reference to the name ''Spickenisse'' is in a source from 1231. Spijkenisse is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsspit) and ''nesse'' (

nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passe ...

) meaning "pointy nose." The name is a reference to the settlement's location on a spit of land protruding into the river. Spijkenisse formed as a farming and fishing village on a creek along the

Oude Maas The Oude Maas (; en, Old Meuse) is a distributary of the river Rhine, and a former distributary of the river Maas, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It begins at the city of Dordrecht where the Beneden Merwede river splits into the Noo ...

. It originally belonged to the Lord of Putten (whose coat of arms is now used by the city) but in 1459 the fiefdom of Putten, including Spijkenisse, was transferred to Philip III, Duke of Burgundy. In 1581, after the Dutch declaration of independence, the area came under the control of the States of Holland and West Friesland. In the 16th century the village suffered several floods. In the 17th and 18th centuries it endured destructive fires which hampered its economic growth. In the 20th century Spijkenisse heavily urbanised as part of the Greater Rotterdam area. Contemporary Spijkenisse includes the communities of Hekelingen, Den Hoek, and Beerenplaat.

Transport

Spijkenisse has a connection to the city of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...

by Rotterdam Metro lines C and D, through Spijkenisse Centrum, Heemraadlaan and De Akkers stations. The metro is operated by RET. On 2 November 2020, at about 00:30, a train ran through buffers at the end of the line and was saved from plunging 10 metres by the "Whale tails" sculpture. There are also several bus services operated by EBS and 1 line of

Connexxion Connexxion is a large public transport company in the Netherlands, operating in the west, middle, east and southwest parts of the country. It is owned by Transdev and Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten. It is a subsidiary of Transdev Netherlands. Hi ...

to Ouddorp. In 2011, the town built seven bridges designed by Robin Stam, replicating Robert Kalina's fictional designs on the

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

banknotes.Euro Banknote Bridges
Atlas Obscura (www.atlasobscura.com). Retrieved on 2018-06-25. 5316 op Spijkenisse Centrum, Spijkenisse.png, Spijkenisse Centrum Gestrande metro Spijkenisse Walvisstaart 3-11-2020.png, Accident on November 2, 2020 StadsbusConnexxion1045.jpg, Bus service 20 Euro Bruecke.jpg, Eurobridge 20 euro

Districts

Health

* Spijkenisse Medisch Centrum ''(former Ruwaard van Putten hospital)''

Schools

Primary schools

Secondary school

Notable residents

Jan Campert Jan Remco Theodoor Campert (Spijkenisse, 15 August 1902 – 12 January 1943) was a Dutch journalist, theater critic and writer who lived in Amsterdam. During the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II Campert was arrested for aiding ...

(1902 in Spijkenisse – 1943) a journalist, theater critic and writer * Marleen de Pater-van der Meer (1950 in Hekelingen – 2015) a Dutch politician * Jan Bechtum (born 1958 in Spijkenisse) a Dutch guitarist and composer * Erik de Jong (born 1961 in Spijkenisse) known as

Spinvis Spinvis is a Dutch one-man music project centred on Erik de Jong (born 2 February 1961, Spijkenisse). Using experimental, lo-fi music, Spinvis has earned two gold records in the Netherlands, and performed sold-out tours in both the Netherlands ...

, a Dutch one-man music project * Medy van der Laan (born 1968 in Spijkenisse) a retired Dutch politician * Björn Franken (born 1983 in Spijkenisse) known as Vato Gonzalez, DJ and producer * Nick van de Wall (born 1987 in Spijkenisse) known as

Afrojack Nick Leonardus van de Wall (; born 9 September 1987), better known as Afrojack, is a Dutch DJ, music producer and remixer from Spijkenisse, South Holland. In 2007, he founded the record label Wall Recordings; his debut album '' Forget the Worl ...

, DJ and producer *

Duncan Laurence Duncan de Moor (; born 11 April 1994), known professionally as Duncan Laurence, is a Dutch singer and songwriter. He represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with his song "Arcade" and went on to win the competition, gi ...

(born 1994 in Spijkenisse) singer, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 ;Sport * Bram Groeneweg (1905 in Spijkenisse – 1988) a Dutch long-distance runner, competed in the marathon 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 ...

Emiel Mellaard Emiel Remco Mellaard (born 21 March 1966) is a retired Dutch long jumper, best known for winning the 1989 European Indoor Championships. Mellaard was the first Dutch long jumper to break the 8-metre barrier, when in 1987 he jumped 8.02. With ...

(born 1966 in Spijkenisse) is a retired Dutch long jump record holder * Joeri de Groot (born 1977 in Spijkenisse) a Dutch rower, competed at the

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), ...

* Patrick van Luijk (born 1984 in Spijkenisse) a Dutch sprinter * Martijn Barto (born 1984 in Spijkenisse) a Dutch professional footballer with over 200 club caps

International relations

Spijkenisse is twinned with the following cities:

Gallery

Image:sp kerk.jpg, The medieval village church is the oldest building in Spijkenisse. File:Spijkenisse molen Nooitgedacht.jpg, in Spijkenisse. File:Spijkenisse kunstwerk mannetjes op de krom.jpg, ''Mannetjes op de krom'' by File:De boekenberg grote bibliotheek in Spijkenisse.jpg, The library "Bookmountain" File:De Rokade.jpg, The ''Rokade'' File:Ijs in de haven van Spijkenisse.jpg, Ice in the harbour of spijkenisse File:Schenkel Maasboulevard DSCF2317.JPG, The Maasboulevard File:Spijkenisse kunstwerk droomboot.jpg, Sculpture "droomboot" (dream boat) File:IIIa3 Haven Spijkenisse - uitstroom poldergemaal.jpg, Outfall sluice

References

External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2015 Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Nissewaard