Vianen () 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 a 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 ...

in the central

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 is located south of 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 ...

. Before 2002 it was part of 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 ...

. Vianen is made up of a historic town centre that dates back to the medieval period and was once surrounded by a defensive wall (parts of which still stand today) and moat, as well as more extensive modern housing developments to the east, south and southwest and an industrial and commercial area. Vianen is intersected by two major

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

s leading to Utrecht: the A2 (Amsterdam-Maastricht) and the A27 (Breda-Almere). Both roads can be notoriously congested near Vianen during peak commute hours. The municipality was merged with the municipalities of

Leerdam Leerdam () is a city and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. The municipality was merged with the municipalities of Vianen and Zederik on 1 January 2019. The name of the new municipality is Vijfheerenlan ...

and Zederik on 1 January 2019. The name of the new municipality is

Vijfheerenlanden Vijfheerenlanden (), literally "lands of five Lords", is a municipality in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The municipality was created on 1 January 2019 through the merger of the former municipalities of Vianen (Utrecht), Leerdam an ...

which is a part of the province Utrecht.

The city of Vianen

Vianen received

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 ...

in 1337. Vianen thrived under the counts of Brederode, who acquired its lordship through marriage early in the 15th century. It formed a self-proclaimed sovereign seignory till 1795, including Vianen, Lexmond, Hei- en Boeicop and Meerkerk. During the Middle Ages, as a "free city," Vianen could be a haven for felons and escaped serfs. Of the three castles built during the town's history, Castle Batestein was said to be one of the most beautiful in the Netherlands. Its only remnants are a 17th-century brick gate and water-pump. Remnants of the old city wall are visible girdling parts of the old downtown. Vianen celebrates its

every year in October with a horse-market. Besides the horses there are also other activities on this day, such as a fair and market and traditional Dutch games.

Notable residents

Frans van Brederode Frans van Brederode (February 4, 1465 – August 11, 1490) was a rebel in Holland against the rule of emperor Maximilian, father and regent of Duke Philip the Handsome of Burgundy. Duke Philip was Count of Holland - Brederode belonged to the Ho ...

(1465 - 1490), military leader * Nicolaas Heinsius the Elder (1620 - 1681), classical scholar and diplomat * Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette (1759–1807), married to French General

marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

, lived in Vianen in 1799, when her husband was released from imprisonment in Prussia but was not allowed to return to France. *

Marian van de Wal Marian van de Wal (born 21 January 1970, Vianen) is a Dutch-Andorran singer and businesswoman who was the representative of Andorra at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Originally from the Netherlands, Van de Wal runs a small ho ...

(born 1970), singer *

Jeannette Lewin Jeannette Marianne Lewin (born 27 February 1972 in Vianen, South Holland) is a former field hockey midfield player from the Netherlands, who played a total number of 114 international matches for the Dutch National Women's Team, in which she s ...

(born 1972), hockey player *

Joaquín Martínez Joaquín Martínez (November 5, 1930 – January 3, 2012) was a Mexican-born American film, theatre and television actor. Often appearing in Westerns, Martínez had roles in '' Jeremiah Johnson'', in which he played a Crow chief, and ''Ulzana's ...

(1930 - 2012), Mexican-born film and television actor, lived in

Everdingen Everdingen is a former municipality in the Netherlands. Together with Zijderveld and Hagestein, it had been part of Vianen municipality since 1986. Since 2019 it is a part of the municipality of Vijfheerenlanden. It enjoys a strategic positi ...

Gallery

File:Impressie Vianen 129.JPG File:Vianen 034.JPG File:VianenLangendijk 18.JPG File:Vianen Langendijk 56.JPG

References

External links

* {{Dutch municipality Vijfheerenlanden Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2019 Former municipalities of South Holland Former municipalities of Utrecht (province) Populated places in Utrecht (province) Vijfheerenlanden