Oud-Beijerland () is a town and former municipality in the western

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

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. ...

, now a part of the

Hoeksche Waard The Hoekse Waard (; pre-1947 spelling: Hoeksche Waard) is an island between the Oude Maas, Dordtsche Kil, Hollands Diep, Haringvliet and Spui rivers in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. The island, part of the namesake munici ...

municipality. With a population of 24,575 in 2020, it is the most populous town of the

island. The town is located adjacent to the confluence of the Oude Maas and Spui River. The town of Oud-Beijerland also includes the communities Vuurbaken and Zinkweg.

History

After the St. Elizabeth's flood (1421), large parts of the islands Putten and Grote Waard were lost and became clay banks and salt marshes which would be inundated at high tide and be unsuitable for habitation. In subsequent centuries, portions of land would be reclaimed. Oud-Beijerland was formed in 1559 as "Beijerland" by

Lamoral, Count of Egmont Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere (18 November 1522 – 5 June 1568) was a general and statesman in the Habsburg Netherlands, Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the national up ...

. He was granted the rights to this area in 1557 and had the land reclaimed. This new

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

was named ''Beijerland, Moerkerken, Cromstrijen en de Greup''. Circa 1624 the smaller polders Bosschenpolder and Nieuwlandpolder were added to it. Beijerland was named after Sabina of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

(Dutch: ''Beijeren''), wife of the Count of Egmont. In 1582 the name was changed to Oud-Beijerland, in order to distinguish it from Nieuw-Beijerland which was formed several kilometers to the west. In 1604 the village got its churchtower from Sabina van Beijeren, and in 1622 the town hall was built. Oud-Beijerland then became one of the most important market places of the Hoeksche Waard. Its economy was dependent on trade, industry, agriculture and fishing. This brought prosperity which is still reflected in the elegant mansions along the Vliet. From the end of the 19th century until ca. 1955, a tram connected Oud-Beijerland with

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

. The tram was nicknamed "Het Moordenaartje" (The Little Murderer) because of the high rate of casualties involved with its operation.

Gallery

File:Oud-Beijerland, de Dorpskerk en toren RM31920+31921 foto5 2014-04-14 15.54.jpg, Oud-Beijerland, church (de Dorpskerk) and tower File:Oud-Beijerland 1866.png, Oud-Beijerland in 1866 File:Gem-Oud-Beijerland-OpenTopo.jpg, Dutch Topographic map of the town of Oud-Beijerland, June 2015

Notes

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External links

* * {{Authority control Hoeksche Waard Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Populated places established in 1559 Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2019

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links