Gorinchem ( ), also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The municipality of Gorinchem also includes the population centre of Dalem.

History

It is generally assumed that Gorinchem was founded 1000 AD by fishermen and farmers on the raised land near the mouth of the river Linge at the

Merwede The Merwede (; etymology uncertain, possibly derived from the Old Dutch ''merwe'' or ''merowe'', a word meaning "wide water") is the name of several connected stretches of river in the Netherlands, between the cities of Woudrichem, Dordrecht and ...

. ''Goriks Heem'' ("Home of Gorik" in early

Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or , there was no overarching sta ...

) is first mentioned in a document from 1224 in which Floris IV granted people from Gorinchem exemption of toll payments throughout

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

. Somewhere between 1247 and 1267, Gorinchem became property of the Lords of Arkel. At the end of the 13th century earthen mounds reinforced with

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

s were built around the settlement to protect it from domination by the neighboring counties of Holland and Gelre. Half a century later real

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

s were built complete with 7 gates and 23

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

s. Otto van Arkel granted it

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 ...

on 11 November 1322. Jan van Arkel had a dispute with Albert I, brother of Willem V of Holland, leading to war and subsequently to the annexation of Gorinchem to Holland in 1417. This resulted in increased trade and Gorinchem grew to be the eighth city of Holland.

Charles the Bold Charles Martin (10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), called the Bold, was the last duke of Burgundy from the House of Valois-Burgundy, ruling from 1467 to 1477. He was the only surviving legitimate son of Philip the Good and his third wife, ...

constructed the Blue Tower palace in Gorinchem in 1461. This castle was already demolished in 1578. On 9 July 1572, the

Watergeuzen ''Geuzen'' (; ; ) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called ''Watergeuzen'' (; ; ). In the Eigh ...

(Dutch rebels against Spanish rule) conquered the city and captured 19 Catholic priests and monks. Because they refused to renounce their faith, these priests and monks were brought to

Brielle Brielle (), also called Den Briel in Dutch and Brill in English, is a town and historic seaport in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New Maas. The for ...

where they were hanged and were from then on known among Catholics as the Martyrs of Gorkum. The Martyrs of Gorkum were canonized by Pope Pius IX in 1867. Their martyrdom is commemorated annually in Gorinchem and has become an integral part of the city’s religious and cultural identity. As victims of religious persecution during the Eighty Years' War, their story symbolizes the broader conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism in the region. The martyrs hold a notable place in Dutch religious history, and their legacy continues to resonate with Catholics around the world. By the 16th century, the city walls had deteriorated and were replaced with new fortifications and eleven

bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

s that are still almost completely intact. The new walls were completed in 1609 and were located further from the town centre, making the city twice as large. In 1673, Gorinchem became part of the old Dutch Water Line. The city walls had four city gates: the Arkel Gate in the north, the Dalem Gate in the east, the Water Gate in the south (where the ferry to Woudrichem was), and the Kansel Gate in the west. Of these four gates, only the Dalem Gate remains. The others were removed in the 19th century to make way for vehicular traffic. A portion of the Water Gate was preserved in the gardens of the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

in Amsterdam. In the 18th century, the economy went into decline. After the French domination, the retreating French troops established themselves in the bastion fortress of Gorinchem. After a three-month siege they capitulated but the city was heavily damaged. During the Industrial Revolution, Gorinchem recovered. Increased shipping led to new canals being dug and a railway connection to the city. Its population quickly increased, filling the inner city, and new neighbourhoods had to be built outside the city walls. At the beginning of the 20th century, expansion took place in the Lingewijk and West neighbourhoods. After World War II, expansion started in the north-western portion of the municipality which was completed in the 1970s. This was followed by development of the neighbourhoods Wijdschild and Laag Dalem east of the city center. In 1986, the town Dalem was added to the municipality. In August 2021 ANWB named Gorinchem the most beautiful star fort in the Netherlands.

Demographics

Gorinchem had 37,456 inhabitants on 1 January 2021.

Politics

The current mayor of Gorinchem is Reinie Melissant-Briene of the CDA. In 2023 a new municipal executive was agreed, consisting of the City Interest, VVD, CU-SGP, Gorcum Active and SP. The municipal council of Gorinchem has 25 members, which are directly elected. The composition of the council at the 2022 Dutch municipal elections is shown in the table below.

Transport

The city is crossed by two motorways; the A15 on the northside, and the A27 on the westside. The city also has a railway station:

Gorinchem Gorinchem ( ), pronunciation respelling, also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The munici ...

Notable people

Public service

* John V, Lord of Arkel (1362–1428)

stadtholder In the Low Countries, a stadtholder ( ) was a steward, first appointed as a medieval official and ultimately functioning as a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and ...

of Holland, Zeeland and West Frisia * Henry of Gorkum (– 1431) a Dutch theologian * Willem Hessels van Est (1542–1613) a Dutch Catholic theologian * The Martyrs of Gorkum a group of 19 Dutch Catholic clerics who were hanged in 1572 * Thomas van Erpe (1584–1624) a Dutch Orientalist, published a book of Arabic grammar * Dirk Rafelsz Camphuysen (1586–1627) theologian, poet, painter * Johannes van Neercassel (1625–1686) Archbishop of Utrecht 1661 to 1686. * Hendrik Hamel (1630–1692) seafarer and writer * Aegidius van Braam (1758–1822) a Dutch naval vice-admiral * Pierre van Paassen (1895–1968) a Dutch–Canadian-American journalist, writer, and Unitarian minister * Roger van Boxtel (born 1954) a retired Dutch politician and businessman, lives in Gorinchem

The arts

Abraham Bloemaert Abraham Bloemaert (25 December 1566 – 27 January 1651) was a Dutch painter and printmaker who used etching and engraving. He initially worked in the style of the " Haarlem Mannerists", but by the beginning of the 17th-century altered his style ...

(1566–1651) Dutch painter and printmaker in etching and engraving * Anthonie Verstraelen (1593/1594–1641) a Dutch landscape painter of winter scenes * Aert van der Neer (–1677) a

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

landscape painter * Cornelis Saftleven (ca.1607–1681) a Dutch painter, worked in many genres *

Jacob van der Ulft Jacob van der Ulft (; 1621–1689) was a Dutch painter, glass painter, print artist, architect and mayor. He was known for his architectural and city views, landscapes and topographical views.Hendrik Verschuring (1627–1690) a

landscape painter * Jan van der Heyden (1637–1712) a Dutch Baroque-era painter, glass painter, draughtsman and printmaker * Ida Gerhardt (1905–1997) a classicist and Dutch poet of a post-symbolist tradition * A. Teeuw (1921–2012) a Dutch critic of Indonesian literature * Jan van Munster (1939–2024) a Dutch sculptor and installation artist * Dinand Woesthoff (born 1972) a Dutch musician, lead singer with Dutch band Kane * Nikos Vertis (born 1976) a Greek singer * Boaz de Jong (born 1988) stage name '' Boaz van de Beatz'', a Dutch record producer and DJ * Chu Lan-ting (born 1990) stage name '' Diana Wang'', a Dutch-born Taiwanese singer and film actress

Science & business

* Gerard Boate (1604–1650) physician and author of ''The Natural History of Ireland'' and his brother * Arnold Boate (1606–1653) a Dutch physician and Hebrew scholar * Louis Jérôme Reiche (1799–1890) a French merchant, manufacturer and entomologist * Berend George Escher (1885–1967) a Dutch geologist and vulcanologist *

Frans Michel Penning Frans Michel Penning (12 September 1894 – 6 December 1953) was a Dutch experimental physicist. He received his PhD from the University of Leiden in 1923, and studied low pressure gas discharges at the Philips Laboratory in Eindhoven, developing ...

(1894–1953) a Dutch experimental physicist

Sport

* Ab Oord (1885–1961) a Dutch weightlifter, competed at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

* Hadriaan van Nes (born 1942) a retired rower, team silver medallist at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

* Ruud Brood (born 1962) a football manager and former player with over 300 club caps * Arie Loef (born 1969) a retired speed skater, competed at the

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

and

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, were an international winter multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Hav ...

* Marco van Hoogdalem (born 1972) a retired Dutch football player with over 350 club caps * Henk Norel (born 1987) a Dutch basketball player, 79 games with the Netherlands national basketball team * Frenkie de Jong (born 1997) a Dutch football player who is currently playing for

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

International relations

Gorinchem is twinned with

Gallery

Image:Gorichem, Grote Kerk foto1 2010-06-27 13.37.JPG, Gorinchem, church: de Grote Kerk File:Gorinchem 2019 2.jpg, Gorinchem Image:Gorinchem, monumentaal pand 2006-06-13 15.14.JPG, Gorinchem, historic building Image:Gorinchem, molen 2007-03-15 15.43.JPG, Gorinchem, windmill Image:Tussen Gorinchem en Arkel, de Haarbrug foto3 2010-06-27 12.36.JPG, between Gorinchem and Arkel, bridge: de Haarbrug

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Alblasserwaard