Vlaardingen () is a large 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' ...

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. ...

in 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 ...

. It is located on the north bank of the

Nieuwe Maas The Nieuwe Maas (; "New Meuse") is a distributary of the Rhine River, and a former distributary of the Meuse (river), Maas River, in the Netherlands, Dutch Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland. It runs from the confluence of th ...

river at the confluence with the

Oude Maas The Oude Maas (; ) is a distributary of the river Rhine, and a former distributary of the river Maas, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It begins at the city of Dordrecht where the Beneden Merwede river splits into the Noord and the O ...

. The municipality administers an area of , of which is land, with residents in .

Geography

The town is divided into a northern part (locally known as the "Holy") and a southern part by the A20 motorway. On the east the town is separated from

Schiedam Schiedam () is a large town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of the city Rotterdam, east of the town Vlaardingen and south of the city Delft. In the south, Schi ...

by the A4 motorway. Other places nearby are the small town

Maassluis Maassluis () is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of in and covered of which was water. It received town rights in 1811. History Maassluis was founded circa 1340 as a se ...

to the west, the village

Schipluiden Schipluiden is a village in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is the seat of the council of the municipality of Midden-Delfland. The village was founded relatively late in the 15th century and evolved around the Keenen ...

and the city

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

to the north, the town

and city

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 ...

to the east and the town of

Spijkenisse Spijkenisse () is a large town in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. Following an administrative reform in 2015, it is part of the List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of Nissewaard, and ha ...

in the south-west, on the other side of the river

. The A20 connects

to the village

Hook of Holland Hook of Holland (, ) is a coastal village in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was in use before the word ''wikt:kaap#Dutch, kaap'' – "cape". The English translation using Hook is a false cognate of t ...

. The Beneluxtunnel (the tunnel that runs under the Nieuwe Waterweg) connects the A20 to the A15. The centre of the town is on the west side of the old harbour, which was originally a stream ('De Vlaarding') from the peat lands north and east of the town, running to the Meuse estuary.

History

The area around Vlaardingen was already settled by about 2900 to 2600 BC. In 1990, a skeleton dated around 1300 BC was dug up in the edge of Vlaardingen. Some human nuclear

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

was identified, the oldest found anywhere in the Netherlands. In

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingd ...

a stronghold or

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

named ''Flenio'' may have been on the site of modern Vlaardingen. Between roughly 250 AD and 700 AD the region seems to have been uninhabited, like much of the west of the Netherlands. In 726 or 727 the area is again mentioned as ''In Pagio Marsum'', where a small church was established, around which Vlaardingen formed. The church is mentioned on a list of churches

Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, and missionary. He became the first Diocese of Utrecht (695–1580), Bishop of Utrecht in what is now the Netherlands, dying at Echternach in Luxembourg, and ...

, the ''Apostle to the Frisians'', inhered to the

Abbey of Echternach The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The abbey was founded in the 7th century by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg. For three hundred years, it benefited from the pat ...

. In 1018, Vlaardingen was a stronghold of Dirk III, who levied an illegal toll on ships on the Meuse river. An army sent by German Emperor Henry II to stop this practice was defeated by Dirk III in the (First)

Battle of Vlaardingen The (First) Battle of Vlaardingen was fought on 29 July 1018 between troops of the Holy Roman Empire and West Frisia (which would later become known as the County of Holland). As a result of a trade dispute, Emperor Henry II sent an army towar ...

. In 1047, his successor Dirk IV repelled another such attack (Second Battle of Vlaardingen). The first of these battles was commemorated in 2018 by a

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational entertainment, educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historical uniforms and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a histor ...

A flood disaster of December 21, 1163 (Saint Thomas Flood), ended the growth of Vlaardingen. The

Counts of Holland The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. The Frisian origins While the Frisian kingdom had comprised most of the present day Netherlands, the later province of Friesland ...

moved away and its development stagnated. In 1273, Vlaardingen was granted

town privileges 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 traditio ...

Floris V, Count of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, modern ...

. Older town privileges are possible, but not provable. In 1574, during the

Eighty Years War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exce ...

of Dutch independence, a group of

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 ...

burnt down Vlaardingen as commanded by William of Orange to prevent the Spanish from capturing the town. Vlaardingen later became a shipbuilding area and a significant harbour for the

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

fishing industry. The fishing boats (originally "haringbuizen", later also "sloepen" and "loggers") ceased to use Vlaardingen in the years after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1855, the former municipality of Zouteveen was merged into the municipality Vlaardingerambacht which in turn was merged with Vlaardingen in 1941 during the German occupation of the Netherlands. Because of industrialization in and close to Vlaardingen, the town suffered from heavy air pollution and, sometimes, pathogenic smog during the 1970s. One day, a high school had to be closed because of the smog. Many environmental groups arose in and around Vlaardingen as it was seen as one of the most polluted cities of the country. Vlaardingen consists of eight districts/neighbourhoods: #Vlaardingen Centrum #Westwijk #Vettenoordse polder (includes industry) #Vlaardingen Oost #Ambacht/Babberspolder #Holy Zuid #Holy Noord #Broekpolder

Politics

Seats in the town council after the municipal elections in 2022: * People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (

VVD The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a conservative-liberal political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party, is a party of the centre-right that tries to promote private enterprise and ...

), 4 seats * Vlaardingen Ahead 2000/Livable Vlaardingen (VV2000/LV), 4 seats * Groenlinks ( GL), 4 seats * ONS.Vlaardingen, 4 seats * Socialist Party ( SP), 4 seats * Christian Democratic Appeal ( CDA), 3 seats * Labour Party ( PvdA), 2 seats * Democrats 66 ( D66), 2 seats * General Elderly Alliance ( AOV), 2 seats * Christian Union/Political Reformed Party ( CU/ SGP), 2 seats * Town Interests Vlaardingen (SBV), 1 seat * DENK, 1 seat * HEEL DE STAD, 1 seat * Beter voor Vlaardingen, 1 seat The mayor is Bert Wijbenga (VVD).

Economy

Unilever Unilever PLC () is a British multinational consumer packaged goods company headquartered in London, England. It was founded on 2 September 1929 following the merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie with British soap maker Lever B ...

research centre is located in Vlaardingen (located next to the former

Sunlight Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible spectrum, visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrare ...

factory, later called Lever Faberge Sourcing Unit Vlaardingen). There are still some ship repair business(es) in Eastern Vlaardingen beside the

River. The was for many years the largest privately owned artificial harbour in the world. The last major herring factory, Warmelo & Van Der Drift, left Vlaardingen in the middle of 2012 to relocate to

Katwijk aan Zee Katwijk aan Zee (literally, ''Katwijk-on-Sea'') is a seaside resort located on the North Sea at the mouth of the Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn. It is situated in the municipality of Katwijk and the province of South Holland. ...

. There are still some ferry terminals (

DFDS Seaways DFDS Seaways is a Danish shipping company that operates passenger and freight services across northern Europe. Following the acquisition of Norfolkline in 2010, DFDS restructured its other shipping divisions (DFDS Tor Line and DFDS Lisco) in ...

, sailing to

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, containe ...

and

Immingham Immingham is a town and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England, on the south-west bank of the Humber, Humber Estuary, northwest of Grimsby. It was relatively unpopulated until the early 1900s, when the Great Central Railway began de ...

and

P&O Ferries P&O Ferries is a British shipping company that operates ferry, ferries from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and from England to Continental Europe (France, Belgium and the Netherlands). The company was created in 2002 through mergers and acquisi ...

sailing to

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

Attractions

Monuments

Historical buildings in the town include the ''Grote Kerk'' (Big Church), the ''

Waag WAAG ( FM 94.9 MHz), known as FM 95, is a radio station licensed for Galesburg, Illinois, United States. The station is owned by Galesburg Broadcasting Company. The station has a country music Country (also called country and western ...

'' (Weighing Bridge) next to the church and the old town hall (used for weddings), all on the ''Markt'', the former marketplace, the ''Visbank'' (Fish Auction) at the harbour and the ''Oude Lijnbaan'' (Old

Ropewalk A ropewalk is a long straight narrow lane, or a covered pathway, where long strands of material are laid before being twisted into rope. Due to the length of some ropewalks, workers may use bicycles to get from one end to the other. Many ropew ...

, where ropes were made). The ''Grote Kerk'' was probably established between 1156 and 1164 and has been expanded, damaged and rebuilt. To the north of the old harbour is the old

Aeolus In Greek mythology, Aiolos, transcribed as Aeolus (; ; ) refers to three characters. These three are often difficult to tell apart, and even the ancient mythographers appear to have been perplexed about which Aeolus was which. Diodorus Siculus m ...

windmill, which operates and sells ground cereals. The harbour is a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

and

open-air museum An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...

with old ships. At the harbour is the ' (before: '' Visserijmuseum'' and the ''Visserij en Vlaardings Museum''), a museum dedicated to commercial sea fishing and

lore Lore may refer to: * Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs * Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions Places * Loré, former French commune * Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in La ...

. A war memorial to the crew of a

Wellington bomber The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of ...

from No. 142 Squadron RAF killed when it was shot down over Vlaardingen in March 1942 has been erected in ''Wijkpark Holy-Noord'' in June 2012. On ''Emaus Cemetery'' in Vlaardinger Ambacht six members of the resistance group "

Geuzen ''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 ...

" are buried. They were executed in March 1941. Nine adjacent headstones are symbolic for nine other members of the "Geuzen" who were also executed and buried elsewhere.

Events

The "Vlaardings Loggerfestival" (''Logger'' is a traditional ship used for

fishery, the customary English name is ''

lugger A lugger is a sailing vessel defined by its rig, using the lug sail on all of its one or more masts. Luggers were widely used as working craft, particularly off the coasts of France, England, Ireland and Scotland. Luggers varied extensively ...

'') is held on the first Saturday of June. The festival used to be called "Haring en Bierfeest" (translation:

and

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

festival), but in 2003 the mayor decided to rename it. In 2015, the name "Haring en Bierfeest" reappeared again. Since 1987, the '' Geuzenpenning'' is an award that is yearly bestowed by a local foundation in cooperation with the town's municipality to human rights activists from all over the world.

Notable residents

People who are born in or (have) lived in Vlaardingen:

Counts of Holland

Floris I, Count of Holland Floris I (born 1017 in Vlaardingen – 28 June 1061) was count of Holland, then called Frisia west of the Vlie, from 1049 to 1061. Floris was born in Vlaardingen. He was a son of Dirk III and Othelindis of Nordmark. Floris succeeded his brot ...

(ca.1017–1061)

Count of Holland The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. The Frisian origins While the Frisian kingdom had comprised most of the present day Netherlands, the later province of Friesland ...

then called

Frisia Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...

, 1049-1061 *

Dirk IV, Count of Holland Dirk IV (ca. 1020/1030 – 13 January 1049) was Count of Holland from 1039 to 1049 (which was called Frisia at that time). Dirk's date of birth is unknown but it was probably ca. 1030 or shortly before, he was described as "adolescent" at the time ...

(ca.1025–1049) was

1039–1049, then called

* Dirk V, Count of Holland (1052–1091) was

10611091, then called

Floris II, Count of Holland Floris II, called Floris the Fat ( – 2 March 1121), was the first from the native dynasty of Holland to be called Count of Holland, reigning from 1091 until his death. Life Floris was the son of his predecessor Dirk V and his wife Othilde. ...

(ca.1085–1121)

1091–1121

Bos Dutch politician kabinet Balkenende IV

Public service

* Gerard Callenburgh (1642–1722) was a Dutch admiral and town councillor and

Burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch . In so ...

* Koos Vorrink (1891–1955) a Dutch politician * (1893–1988) a

general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...

who devised Moerman Therapy * Catharina Halkes (1920–2011) a Dutch theologian and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

Dirk Hoogendam Dirk Hoogendam, a.k.a. Dieter Hohendamm, alias ''The Boxer'' (18 May 1922, Vlaardingen – 8 August 2003 in Ringgau, Germany), was a Dutch war criminal. Hoogendam joined the ''Waffen-SS'' in 1940, later transferring to a Dutch police unit under G ...

(1922–2003) a Dutch war criminal *

Geert Mak Geert Ludzer Mak (born 4 December 1946 in Vlaardingen) is a Dutch journalist and non-fiction writer. Honors For his book ''In Europe: Travels through the Twentieth Century'', he received the Leipziger Buchpreis zur Europäische Verständigung (2 ...

(born 1946) a Dutch journalist and a non-fiction writer about history * Agnes van Ardenne (born 1950) a retired Dutch politician and diplomat *

Wouter Bos Wouter Jacob Bos (; born 14 July 1963) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and businessman. Bos attended the Christian Gymnasium in Zeist from June 1975 until July 1980 and applied at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in ...

(born 1963) a retired Dutch politician, former

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

2007–2010 *

Kees van der Staaij Cornelis Gerrit "Kees" van der Staaij (; born 12 September 1968) is a Dutch politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2023 and Leader of the Reformed Political Party (''Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij'', SGP) ...

(born 1968) a Dutch politician * Arjan El Fassed (born 1973) a former Dutch politician, human rights activist, aid worker and director of Open State Foundation

The arts

Dolf van der Linden David Gijsbert van der Linden (22 June 1915 – 30 January 1999), known as Dolf van der Linden, was a Dutch Conductor (music), conductor of popular music with a reputation which extended beyond the borders of the Netherlands. Biography David Gij ...

(1915–1999) a Dutch conductor of popular music * Bassie en Adriaan, (brothers, born 1935 & 1942) actors in their own children's TV show * Gerrit Berveling (born 1944) a Dutch Esperanto author * Threes Anna (born 1959) a novelist, theatre and film maker * Hans Neleman (born 1960) an international photographer and film director from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Martyn LeNoble Martyn LeNoble (; born 14 April 1969) is a Dutch bassist and a founding member of the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros. He started his musical career by playing bass in a Dutch punk rock band when he was 14. In 1989, he moved to Los Angele ...

(born 1969) a Dutch bassist and a founding member of the alternative rock band

Porno for Pyros Porno for Pyros was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992, following the first break-up of Jane's Addiction. The band currently consists of Jane's Addiction members Perry Farrell (vocals) and Stephen Perki ...

Karen Mulder Karen Mulder (born 1 June 1968 or 1970) is a Dutch fashion model. She is known for her work with Versace, Dior, and Chanel during the 1980s and 1990s. Mulder was featured on the cover of ''Vogue'' and was also a Victoria's Secret model, making ...

(born 1970) a Dutch model, singer and former

supermodel A supermodel is a highly paid fashion model who has a worldwide reputation and background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term became popular in the 1990s. Supermodels usually work for prominent fashion designers and clothin ...

* Rik van de Westelaken (born 1971) a Dutch TV presenter * Rajacenna van Dam (born 1994) a Dutch hyper realistic pencil drawing artist Aad van der vaart

Science & business

* Ericus Verkade (1835–1907) a Dutch businessman, founded

Verkade Royal Verkade (Dutch: Koninklijke Verkade) is a Dutch manufacturing company, owned by a Turkish conglomerate. The company is headquartered in Zaandam and was one of the oldest existing family companies in the Netherlands. In November 2014, the com ...

manufacturing company * Hans Bos (born 1950) a Dutch biochemist, cancer researcher and academic *

Aart de Geus Aart J. de Geus (born June 1954) is a co-founder and executive chair of Synopsys Inc., where he was CEO until January 2024. De Geus graduated with a master's degree in electrical engineering (1978) from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de L ...

(born 1954) co-founder and CEO of

Synopsys Synopsys, Inc. is an American electronic design automation (EDA) company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that focuses on silicon design and verification, silicon intellectual property and software security and quality. Synopsys sup ...

* Roel Pieper (born 1956) a Dutch IT-entrepreneur * Aad van der Vaart (born 1959) a Dutch professor of

stochastics Stochastic (; ) is the property of being well-described by a random probability distribution. ''Stochasticity'' and ''randomness'' are technically distinct concepts: the former refers to a modeling approach, while the latter describes phenomena; in ...

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

* Menno Schilthuizen (born 1965) a Dutch evolutionary biologist, ecologist and academic researcher * Jim Stolze (born 1973) a tech-entrepreneur at

Amsterdam Science Park __NOTOC__ Amsterdam Science Park is a science park in the Oost borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands with foci on physics, mathematics, information technology and the life sciences. The 70 hectare (175 acre) park provides accommodations for science, ...

and with

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

Sport

* Joy De Zeeuw (born 2006) professional tennis player * Andries Hoogerwerf (1906–1977) a middle-distance runner in 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 ...

, later a scientist and conservationist in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

* Rudie Liebrechts (born 1941) a Dutch former speed skater and racing cyclist * Paul-Jan Bakker (born 1957) a former Dutch cricketer * Juliette Bergmann (born 1958) a Dutch female bodybuilding former champion *

Wim Koevermans Wilhelmus ("Wim") Jacobus Koevermans (born 28 June 1960) is a Dutch football coach and former player. A central defender, he earned one cap for the Netherlands national team. Koevermans was a member of the Dutch team that won the European title ...

(born 1960) a former football central defender with 340 club caps * Harald Wapenaar (born 1970) a Dutch former football goalkeeper with 341 club caps *

Caroline Vis Caroline Vis (born 4 March 1970) is a former tennis player from the Netherlands. Vis turned professional in 1989. A doubles specialist, Vis won nine titles on the WTA Tour during her career. She reached the mixed-doubles final at the 1991 Fre ...

(born 1970) a retired professional tennis player * Frank Kooiman (born 1970) a retired Dutch football goalkeeper with about 310 club caps *

Wilma van Hofwegen Willemina ("Wilma") Cornelia Adriana van Rijn-van Hofwegen (born 17 July 1971) is a former freestyle swimmer from the Netherlands, who was a member of the Dutch Women's 4×100 m freestyle relay Team that won the silver medal at ...

(born 1971) a former freestyle swimmer, team silver medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Serge Zwikker (born 1973) a Dutch-American former basketball player. *

Mark Huizinga Mark Huizinga (born 10 September 1973) is a Dutch judoka and Olympic champion. Huizinga was born in Vlaardingen, South Holland in Netherlands in 1973. He won the gold medal in the men's under 90 kg class at the 2000 Summer Olympics by ...

(born 1973) a Dutch judoka champion and gold medallist at the

and bronze medallist at the

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

* Daniëlle de Bruijn (born 1978) a water polo player, team gold medallist at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

* Edith Bosch (born 1980) a Dutch judoka, silver medallist at the

and bronze medallist at the

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

* Chantal Achterberg (born 1985) a Dutch rower, team bronze medallist at the

and team silver medalist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Carlo van Dam Carlo van Dam (born 27 February 1986 in Vlaardingen) is a Dutch racing driver. He is currently a factory driver for Subaru and he is the reserve and tear driver for R&D Sport in the Super GT Series while driving for Subaru Tecnica Internationa ...

(born 1986) a Dutch racing driver * Junior Strous (born 1986) a Dutch racing driver * Ian Maatsen (born 2002) a Dutch football player, who plays for

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

Twin town

Gallery

File:Vlaardingen oude stadshuis 2006-04-02 14.59.JPG, File:Vlaardingen Visbank 2006-04-02 15.07.JPG, File:Vlaardingen brug achter de Visbank 2006-04-02 15.24.JPG, File:Vlaardingen windmill.jpg, File:Villa IJzermans PICT3951.jpg, File:Vlaardingen 5-5-2005 8-46-42.jpg, File:Raadhuis Vlaardingerambacht in 1978.jpg, File:Vlaardingen_plezierjachten_in_haven_2006-04-02_15.32.JPG, File:Vlaardingen, bedrijfspand H van Toorn bij de Grote Kerk foto3 2011-06-26 10.34.JPG,

References

External links

*
English version
*
The history of Vlaardingen website
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland