Vijfheerenlanden (), literally "lands of five Lords", is a

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 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 ...

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 ...

. The municipality was created on 1 January 2019 through the merger of the former municipalities of Vianen (Utrecht), Leerdam and Zederik (both

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 ...

). Vijfheerenlanden has 59,150 inhabitants on 1 January 2022. Vijfheerenlanden is also the name of an area in the provinces of Utrecht (since 2002) and South Holland. The area also borders on two other Dutch provinces:

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

to the east, and

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to t ...

to the south. On its western border is the Alblasserwaard, an area in South Holland, and on its eastern border the , an area in Gelderland. The largest city of Vijfheerenlanden is Vianen, which is a major node in the Dutch network of roads and rivers. The second largest city is Leerdam. The borders on the north and south of the area are formed by rivers, de Lek in the north and the Waal the south, the east border is formed by the line Haaften –

Rhenoy Rhenoy is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and is situated about 13 km east of Gorinchem, between Geldermalsen and Leerdam. History It was first mentioned in 1265 as tot Rynoey ...

–

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 ...

, and the west border is formed by the line

Ameide Ameide is a city in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Vijfheerenlanden, and lies about 9 km southwest of IJsselstein. Ameide received city rights in the 14th century. Ameide was a separate municipality i ...

– Meerkerk – Arkel. The area takes its name from the Lords of Arkel, of Ter Leede, of Hagestein, of Everdingen, dike builders from Haaften, and the Van Brederodes from Vianen, who together, in 1284, took measures to protect the area against the threat of water from the Geldersche

Betuwe Batavia (; , ) is a historical and geographical region in the Netherlands, forming large fertile islands in the river delta formed by the waters of the Rhine (Dutch: ''Rijn'') and Meuse (Dutch: ''Maas'') rivers. During the Roman empire, it wa ...

. The most eastern village in Vijfheerenlanden is Haaften, which was the village that was threatened the most by the water, and the villagers there started to heighten the dikes. Historische kaart Vijfheerenlanden (16e eeuw)

Historische kaart Vijfheerenlanden (16e eeuw)

Population centers

* Leerdam * Tienhoven aan de Lek * Vianen

References

External links

*
Official Website
Municipalities of Utrecht (province) Municipalities of the Netherlands established in 2019 Regions of the Netherlands Regions of Utrecht (province) Regions of South Holland {{Utrecht-geo-stub