Bunnik () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The

recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world h ...

of the village dates back nearly 2000 years, when the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

constructed a fort at

Fectio Fectio, known as ''Vechten'' in Old Dutch, was a Roman ''castellum'' in the province Germania Inferior established in the year 4 or 5 AD. It was located at the place where the river Vecht (''Fectio'') branched off from the Rhine, leading to Lak ...

(now

Vechten Fectio, known as ''Vechten'' in Old Dutch, was a Roman ''castellum'' in the province Germania Inferior established in the year 4 or 5 AD. It was located at the place where the river Vecht (''Fectio'') branched off from the Rhine, leading to Lak ...

) with a

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

facing the river

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, which marked the border of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. The fort developed into a thriving trading centre, which continued to exist after the Romans abandoned the fort in the fourth century. Subsequently, the area was occupied by the

Frisians The Frisians () are an ethnic group indigenous to the German Bight, coastal regions of the Netherlands, north-western Germany and southern Denmark. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland an ...

and the

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

. In the 8th and 9th century, the villages of Bunninchem (Bunnik), Lodichem (

Odijk Odijk is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Bunnik, and lies about south of Zeist. Odijk used to be a separate municipality. It merged with Bunnik and Werkhoven in 1964. Overview The village was fir ...

) and Wercundia (

Werkhoven Werkhoven is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Bunnik, and lies about 5 km east of Houten. Castle Beverweerd is located on the other side of the river. Werkhoven used to be a separate municipality. ...

) developed. Chief interests of Bunnik are its surrounding nature, consisting mainly of forests and farmlands. Additionally, Bunnik, hosts the oldest

Youth Hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

in the

. The major European construction and services company

Royal BAM Group Royal BAM Group nv () is a Dutch construction-services business with headquarters in Bunnik, Netherlands. Based on revenue it is the largest construction company in the Netherlands. History The company was founded by Adam van der Wal as a joiner ...

has its headquarters in Bunnik.

Population centres

The municipality of Bunnik consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Bunnik,

Topography

''Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Bunnik, June 2015.''

Transportation

Bunnik railway station Bunnik is a railway station located in Bunnik, Netherlands. The station was opened in 1868 and is located on the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway. The station is operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (, , NS ) is the principal passenger railway oper ...

Notable people

Jacob Pieter van Braam Jacob Pieter van Braam (Werkhoven, 27 October 1737 – Zwolle, 16 July 1803) was a Dutch States Navy officer. Van Braam joined the Admiralty of Amsterdam in 1748 as a midshipman. In 1751 he was captured by Barbary corsairs and would be a slave un ...

(1737 in Werkhoven – 1803) a Dutch admiral *

Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest Andreas Everardus van Braam Houckgeest (1 November 1739 in Werkhoven – 8 July 1801 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch-American merchant who is mostly known for his participation in the last Netherlands, Dutch embassy to China under the tribute, tributary ...

(1739 in Werkhoven – 1801) a Dutch-American merchant in China *

John Oostrom John Martin Oostrom (September 2, 1930 – March 4, 2023) was a Canadian business executive and politician. He was the first Dutch-born Canadian elected to the House of Commons of Canada. Biography Oostrom was the eldest of thirteen children a ...

(born 1930 in Werkhoven) the first Dutch-born Canadian parliamentarian *

Coby van Baalen Jacoba ("Coby") Maria Jozina van Baalen-Dorresteijn (born 6 April 1957 in Werkhoven, Utrecht) is an equestrian from the Netherlands, who won the silver medal in the Team Dressage event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She did so ...

(born 1957 in Werkhoven) an equestrian, team silver medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Katja Schuurman Katja Schuurman (born 19 February 1975) is a Dutch actress, singer and television personality. Early life Schuurman grew up as the eldest daughter of a Dutch people, Dutch father and a Curaçao-born Surinamese mother of mixed Dutch, Chinese, In ...

(born 1975 in Bunnik) a Dutch actress, singer and TV personality *

Birgit Schuurman Birgit Schuurman (born 1 July 1977, in Utrecht) is a Dutch singer and actress. Biography Schuurman was born in Utrecht and raised in Bunnik as the daughter of a Dutch father and a Surinamese mother. She's the younger sister of Katja Schuurman ...

(born 1977) a Dutch singer and actress, brought up in Bunnik IMDb Database
retrieved 21 December 2019 * Jaap Stockmann (born 1984 in Bunnik) a retired Dutch field hockey goalkeeper who played for the Dutch national team

Gallery

File:Beverweerd.jpg, Kasteel Beverweerd File:Voormalig Raadhuis Bunnik 2.jpg, Voormalig Raadhuis Bunnik File:Odijk, kunstwerk (Drie stenen) bij het gemeentehuis gemaakt door Hans Leutscher IMG 6467 2020-07-12 12.43.jpg, Odijk, art work (Three Stones) near the townhall designed by Hans Leutscher File:Marsdijk Bunnik gezien vanaf de Mereveldseweg.jpg, Marsdijk Bunnik gezien vanaf de Mereveldseweg File:3981 Bunnik, Netherlands - panoramio (77).jpg, Bunnik, - panoramio

References

External links

*
Official website
Municipalities of Utrecht (province) Populated places in Utrecht (province) {{Utrecht-geo-stub