Buren () is a town and

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' ...

in the

Betuwe Betuwe (), also known in English as Batavia ( ), is a historical and geographical region in the Netherlands, forming large fertile islands in the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, river delta formed by the waters of the Rhine (Dutch: ''Rijn'') and ...

region of 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 ...

. Buren has 27,168 inhabitants as of 1 January 2022.

Geography

Buren is located in

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

, a province of the Netherlands. It is part of the landscape of

, a very fertile strip of land between two branches of Rhine-Meuse Delta, the

Nederrijn 300px, Course of the Nederrijn The Nederrijn (; "Lower Rhine"; distinct from the Lower Rhine or further upstream) is the Dutch part of the Rhine from the confluence at the town of Angeren of the cut-off Rhine bend of Oude Rijn (Gelderland ...

in the north and the

Waal WAAL (99.1 FM broadcasting, FM; "The Whale") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station licensed to Binghamton, New York. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. WAAL is the oldest FM radio station continuou ...

in the south.

Population centers

Population centers include:

History

The earliest known settlement of the region occurred as early as 772. Castle Buren was built by the Lords of Buren and was first mentioned in 1298. The town was granted

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 tradition ...

in 1395 by Sir Alard IV of Buren which led to the construction of a defensive wall and a moat, significant portions of which still stand. In 1492, the region was promoted to a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

(i.e. a territory ruled by a count), but had limited economic influence due to its geographic isolation. By 1574, the previously Catholic parish church of Saint-Lambert () had become

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

Protestant. The Castle eventually came into the possession of the

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of O ...

, the royal family of the Netherlands. The Dutch royal family has been known to use the name van Buren as an alias to give themselves some degree of anonymity.

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

obtained the title Buren. The Dutch royal family still use this as a title. The Castle was gradually demolished between 1804 and 1883. The eighth president of the United States,

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

, traced his ancestry to inhabitants of the town, who had taken the surname ''Van Buren'' after relocating to the Dutch colony of

New Netherlands New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

in what is now the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In 1853, following the end of his presidency, Van Buren made a visit to the town while on a tour of Europe and reportedly met with several distant relatives. The current municipality is the result of 2 mergers. On 1 January 1978, the municipalities of Beusichem, Zoelen and part of Buurmalsen were added to the existing municipality of Buren, that was formed in the mid-19th century. On 1 January 1999, Buren was enlarged with the addition of the municipalities of Lienden and Maurik. 20110924 40 Buren molen

Historical sites

Buren has two museums: * The Museum of the Royal Military Police, located in a 17th-century orphanage. * The Museum of the

Dutch Royal Family The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the country's charter and constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and abdication; the roles and duties of the monarch; the formalities of communica ...

, located in the historic city hall. It is also home to ''De Prins Van Oranje'', a restored windmill.

Government and politics

The title "Count or Countess of Buren and Leerdam" is held by the Dutch monarchy due to

Prince William of Orange William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from 167 ...

's marriage to the Countess of Buren,

Anna of Egmont Anna van Egmont (March 1533 – 24 March 1558), mainly known as Anna van Buren (or Anna van Bueren), was a Dutch heiress who became the first wife of William the Silent, Prince of Orange. Biography Anna was born in Grave, Netherlands in March ...

, in 1551. As a result, the county and the town of Buren fall under the control of the Royal

House of Orange-Nassau The House of Orange-Nassau (, ), also known as the House of Orange because of the prestige of the princely title of Orange, also referred to as the Fourth House of Orange in comparison with the other noble houses that held the Principality of Or ...

Demographics

Twin town

Buren is twinned with:

Notable people

Philip William, Prince of Orange Philip William, Prince of Orange (19 December 1554 in Buren, Gelderland – 20 February 1618) was the eldest son of William the Silent by his first wife Anna van Egmont. He became Prince of Orange in 1584 and Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1599. ...

(1554 in Buren – 1618)

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by the stadtholders of, and then the heirs apparent of ...

in 1584 and Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1599 * Gerard de Kruijff (1890 in Buren – 1968) a Dutch horse rider who competed in the

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

and the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

Lukas Smits Lukas Smits (born 23 May 1935 in Ravenswaaij) is a Dutch painter. Lukas Smits was born in Ravenswaaij (Buren) and studied both at the Academy of Art and Design in Den Bosch and at the Jan van Eyck-Academy in Maastricht. In 1959 he received the R ...

(born 1935 in Ravenswaaij) a Dutch painter. * Jos Beijnen (born 1956 in Beusichem) a Dutch pharmacist and academic *

Ron Stevens Ronald Gordon "Ron" Stevens (September 17, 1949 – May 13, 2014) was a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Calgary-Glenmore as a Progressive Conservative until his re ...

(born 1959 in Lienden) a Dutch sprint canoer who competed in two Summer Olympics

Gallery

File:Kerk van Buren.jpg, The Culemborg gate with the Saint-Lambertus church, Buren in the background. File:Willem van Oranje en Anne van Buren.jpg, Statue in the center of Buren - William of Orange and Anna van Buren File:4116 Buren, Netherlands - panoramio - Ben Bender (24).jpg, Buren, panoramio File:Buren Herenstraat wandelaars.JPG, Buren, Herenstraat and the Rodeheldenstraat in the background. File:4116 Buren, Netherlands - panoramio (46).jpg, Weighing scales and village pump on the market square in Buren. File:Buren, vestingwerken met toren van de Sint-Lambertuskerk RM11329 foto4 2016-10-05 10.47.jpg, Buren, church, de Sint-Lambertuskerk behind the wall File:Buren, het koninklijk weeshuis RM11388 achter de vestingwerken foto8 2016-10-05 11.03.jpg, Buren, orphan house behind the wall

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of Gelderland