Breukelen () is a town and former municipality in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, in the province of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. It is situated to the northwest of

, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen, an area of natural and tourist interest. It is located in an area called the Vechtstreek. It is the namesake of the borough of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, New York.

History

Breukelen's history dates back to the 7th century, when it was a village named Attingahem. Around the year 720, the first wooden church was built in the village by

Saint Boniface Boniface, OSB (born Wynfreth; 675 –5 June 754) was an English Benedictines, Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of ...

. In the 8th century, a Frisian nobleman named Atte established a settlement there, constructing a fortified farm named the Breukelerhof. During the 17th century, many wealthy

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

merchant families built their mansions along the river Vecht. In the Disaster Year (1672) the village and its vicinity were severely damaged by warfare, if not looted and burned by the French. On 1 January 2011, Breukelen merged with Loenen and Maarssen to form Stichtse Vecht. The

borough of

in the United States is named after Breukelen (see History of Brooklyn).

Nyenrode Business University

The town is well known for the being the location of Nyenrode Business University. Founded in 1946, Nyenrode is a university that offers business and finance-related higher education.

Transportation

* Breukelen railway station * Bus services 120, 130, 143, 524 and 526

Villages

The former municipality of Breukelen consisted of the following villages: Breukelen, Kockengen, and Nieuwer-Ter-Aa.

Gallery

File:Breukelen, Nijenrode foto5 2007-03-25 09.45.JPG, Breukelen, castle/university Nijenrode File:2007-03-25 10.04 Breukelen, ophaalbrug bij de Vecht.JPG, Breukelen, drawbridge across the Vecht File:2007-04-18 18.33 Breukelen, molen foto2.JPG, Breukelen, windmill

History

Nyenrode Business University

Transportation

Villages

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading