Reeuwijk () is a 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. ...
. The former municipality covers an area of 50.11 km
2 (of which 11.89 km
2 is water). Since January 1, 2011 Reeuwijk merged with
Bodegraven to
Bodegraven-Reeuwijk.
The former municipality of Reeuwijk includes the communities of
Driebruggen,
Hogebrug,
Langeweide,
Middelburg,
Oud-Reeuwijk,
Oukoop,
Platteweg,
Randenburg,
Reeuwijk-Brug,
Reeuwijk-Dorp,
Sluipwijk,
Tempel
Tempel (German or Dutch: ''temple'') may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Surname
*Wilhelm Tempel (1821–1889), German astronomer
*Russel Tempel, American politician
Nekpur Galla Mandi, Near Muni Mandir, Bareilly Uttar Pradesh 243001
Synagogues
* Tempel Syna ...
,
Waarder and
Westeinde.
History
Reeuwijk was established as a good location for
peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...
harvesting. The earliest known reference to the town is from 1248.
The area prospered in the 18th century when layers of peat were dug up, dried, and used as fuel for industries in
Gouda. Eventually these peat quarries struck a fresh-water spring, forming the
Reeuwijk Ponds (''Reeuwijkse Plassen''). Reeuwijk added neighboring municipalities: in 1855, Middelburg was added, in 1857, Oukoop, in 1870, Sluipwijk and Stein.
On January 1, 1989, when the municipality Driebruggen (formed in 1964) was dissolved, its communities Waarder and Driebruggen were added to Reeuwijk.
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
Bodegraven-Reeuwijk
Former municipalities of South Holland
Populated places in South Holland
Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2011
