Zwijndrecht () is a town and municipality 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 ...

. It is located in the province of South Holland, at the southern tip of the island of IJsselmonde, and at the confluence of the rivers

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 ...

Beneden-Merwede The Beneden Merwede () is a stretch of river in the Netherlands, mainly fed by the river Rhine. It starts as the continuation of the Boven Merwede after the branching-off of the Nieuwe Merwede ship canal. It flows from Hardinxveld-Giessendam to Do ...

, and Noord.

Population

The town of Zwijndrecht is one of the "Drecht" cities. Part of the suburban zone south 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 ...

, it has grown from around 6,000 inhabitants in 1960, to about 45,000 today. Since 2003, the municipality of Zwijndrecht also includes the villages of Heerjansdam and Kleine-Lindt. It had a population of in . Zwijndrecht has the highest concentration of

Estonians Estonians or Estonian people ( et, eestlased) are a Finnic ethnic group native to Estonia who speak the Estonian language. The Estonian language is spoken as the first language by the vast majority of Estonians; it is closely related to othe ...

in the Netherlands. The Evangelical Theological Academy is located here.

Transportation

The town is served by a railway station of the same name ( Station Zwijndrecht). By train you go north to

and

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

, and south it takes you to either Breda or Roosendaal. Water bus routes 21 and 24 both stop at (Zwijndrecht Veerplein), connecting it with the following: *

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after ...

Merwekade *

Hooikade The road buses are operated by

Qbuzz Qbuzz is a public transport company in the Netherlands that operates services in South Holland, Utrecht, Drenthe and Groningen. Founded in 2008, it was a 100% subsidiary of Nederlandse Spoorwegen (the Dutch National Railway Operator) between ...

. Routes connect to

and other places in the Drechtsteden. Also Zwijndrecht is an important town for cargo transportation. It connects highways together with highway A16 and it connects rivers together with river De Oude Maas. Even for train cargo they have an important connection. For train cargo there is a classification yard that's called Kijfhoek, It's one of the most important and biggest classification yards in Europe.

Twin cities

Zwijndrecht is currently twinned with:

Notable people

Peter van Dalen Peter van Dalen (born 3 September 1958) is a Dutch politician serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2009. He is a member of the Christian Union, which used to be part of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), bu ...

(born 1958) politician and

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

Mohammed Benzakour Mohammed Benzakour (born 10 January 1972 in Nador, Morocco) is a Moroccan-Dutch columnist, essayist, poet, writer and politician. He is the third child in a family of five. At age three, he and mother and siblings settle in Zwijndrecht, Netherland ...

(born 1972) a Moroccan-Dutch columnist, essayist, poet, writer and politician * Nicolay (born Matthijs Rook in 1974) electronica, R&B and hip hop record producer *

Ralph Barendse Ralph Barendse (, born 6 April 1977) is a Dutch DJ and producer of electronic dance music, mainly trance, performing as Ralphie B and Midway. Barendse has also produced remixes for artists in the scene, among them Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Sol ...

(born 1977) a DJ and producer of electronic dance music * Martijn Lakemeier (born 1993) actor IMDb Database
retrieved 30 April 2019

Sport

Michel Valke Michel Valke (born 24 August 1959) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a midfielder. Valke made his professional debut at Sparta Rotterdam and also played for PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Olympique Lyonnais and Dordrecht'90. He was ...

(born 1959) retired Dutch footballer * Jeroen Sluijter (born 1975) baseball player *

Percy Isenia Percy Isenia (born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch former baseball player who played for SV ADO and the Dutch national team. Isenia batted .304/.385/.478 in the 1999 World Port Tournament to help the Netherlands to the title. He was 3 for 9 with a ...

(born 1976) baseball player *

Kevin Vermeulen Kevin Vermeulen (born 20 November 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Kozakken Boys. He formerly played for Excelsior, RKC Waalwijk and FC Dordrecht Football Club Dordrecht, or simply FC Dordrecht () is a pr ...

(born 1990) professional footballer * Marten de Roon (born 1991) professional footballer * Nikki de Roest (born 1993) educator and formerly a female association football player * Jordy van Deelen (born 1993) footballer

Gallery

File:Zwijndrecht vanaf Grote Kerk 1.JPG, Zwijndrecht vanaf Grote Kerk File:Zwijndrecht kunstwerk drie koningen.jpg, Zwijndrecht kunstwerk drie koningen File:Someone watching Zwijndrecht, Holland (13780524954).jpg, Watching Zwijndrecht File:Bethelkerk - Zwijndrecht - 20376593 - RCE.jpg, Bethelkerk - Zwijndrecht

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Drechtsteden IJsselmonde (island)