Ouderkerk aan den IJssel (; ) is a village in the municipality of

Krimpenerwaard Krimpenerwaard () is a municipality, a region and a former water board of the Netherlands. It is a rural area located in the east of the province of South Holland, just south of Gouda and east of the Rotterdam conurbation. It is bordered on ...

, 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 Netherlands. It is situated along the river Hollandse IJssel and has over 4000 inhabitants. Ouderkerk aan den IJssel, together with Lageweg and IJssellaan, was a separate municipality until 1 January 1985 when the municipalities in the Krimpenerwaard were reorganized and it was merged with Gouderak to form the municipality Ouderkerk. Of these, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel is the largest population centre and the location of the town hall.

History

The town is named for its "old church", which was a prominent landmark for centuries on the horizon for ships travelling along the IJssel river. There is an indication that a little church may have been present here in the 10th century. This would be remarkable since the Krimpenerwaard would have been a swamp at that time except for some minor hills. As the Krimpenerwaard has dried up and the river dikes along the river have been raised, the church has "sunk" much lower in the landscape today than in former centuries, which was the reason for raising the tower in the 19th century. The oldest official reference to the village is from 1263 when it was called ''Oudekerke''. Though several Roman coins from the fourth century have been found, this does not confirm the presence of a Roman settlement. But it is probable that there was an older village here called ''IJsele'' until the 12th century. Remains of a

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...

stone church foundation from that same century have been found. Henry de Nassau, Lord Overkirk, an army leader during the

Spanish War of Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish ...

, is buried in the main church.

Notable people

* Stefan de Vrij, footballer * Javier Guzman, cabaretier, comedian * Ramon Stoppelenburg, author, world traveler

Gallery

File:Ouderkerk 1867.png, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel in 1867. File:Baarhuisje.jpg, Old wooden mortuarium built in the early 19th century in neoclassical style for the cemetery situated against the dijk. File:Dorpstraat21.jpg, Dorpstraat, behind the church.

References

Populated places in South Holland Former municipalities of South Holland Krimpenerwaard {{SouthHolland-geo-stub