Naarden () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and former

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' ...

in the

Gooi The Gooi ( ) is an area around Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants and its villas. The Gooi is known in the country a ...

region in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

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 has been part of the new municipality of

Gooise Meren Gooise Meren () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. It has about 58,000 inhabitants and covers an area of about . Gooise Meren has existed since 2016. It is a merger of the three former municipalities of Bussum, M ...

since 2016.

History

Naarden was granted its

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 ...

in 1300 (the only town in the Gooi with these rights) and later developed into a fortified garrison town with a textile industry. In 1572, the city was sacked and burnt down, and only 60 people survived the Massacre of Naarden. The massacre was committed by Spanish soldiers against the townspeople of Naarden as part of a punitive expedition against Dutch rebels later known as the

Spanish Fury The Spanish Fury (or the Spanish Terror) was a number of violent sackings of cities (lootings) in the Low Countries or Benelux, mostly by Spanish Habsburg armies, that happened in the years 1572–1579 during the Dutch Revolt. In some cases, the ...

. The destruction of the city galvanized the Dutch rebels, leading them to continue the

Dutch War of Independence 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, ex ...

against Spain. Naarden is an example of a

star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, meaning 'Italian outline') is a fortification in a style developed during the early modern period in response to the ascendancy of gunpowder weapons such as c ...

, complete with

fortified A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lat ...

walls and a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

. The moat and walls have been restored on numerous occasions, most notably during the French era (1795-1814). After the Battle of Leipzig (1813), the Netherlands were liberated by an allied force of Dutch, Prussian and Russian armies. During this period, Naarden was besieged for months since the French commander didn't believe that Napoleon was captured. In May 1814, the French soldiers left the city in a retreat with honour (see Siege of Naarden (1813–1814).

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; ; ; ; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considered the father of modern education. He served as the last bishop of the Unit ...

, 17th century Moravian born Czech educator was buried in the city, and his mausoleum is open to visitors. Despite its earlier importance, Naarden's population was surpassed by

Hilversum Hilversum () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is ...

in the 18th century and today it is smaller than its neighbour

Bussum Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the province of North Holland in the Netherlands near Hilversum. Since 2016, Bussum has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren. Bussum had a ...

. The city's distinctive shape made it a rallying point for Allied bombers returning to England after raids on Germany. Naarden was a separate municipality until 2015. On 1 January 2016, the municipality of Naarden merged with

Muiden Muiden () is a city and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht (Utrecht), Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek. Since 2016, Muiden has been part of the new municipality ...

and

to form the new municipality of

Economy

The company Stork B.V. had its head office in Naarden.

Geography

The city of Naarden is located in the municipality of

in the west of the

. It is situated in the

region in the southeast of the province of

Attractions

Naarden is the home of the

Dutch Fortress Museum The Dutch Fortress Museum (Nederlands Vestingmuseum) is located in the city of Naarden, the Netherlands. The museum was established by volunteers in 1955 at bastion Turfpoort, one of six bastions that give the walled city its distinctive star sha ...

(''Nederlands Vestingmuseum''). Naarden hosts the bi-annual Naarden Photo Festival and, on

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

, a performance of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

's St. Matthew Passion in the local church, which is called the Great Church or St. Vitus Church. The Great Church (''Grote Kerk'') in Marktstraat dates from the 15th century. Prior to the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

it was named for St. Vitus. It is one of the oldest surviving churches in The Netherlands, having had the good fortune to survive the Spanish invasion of 1572 and the subsequent burning of the town. The church has numerous wooden vaults painted with scenes from the Old and

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

s. These were hidden for many years and only rediscovered in a recent restoration. The church is the venue for a number of cultural activities such as organ music nights and the bi-annual Naarden Photo festival. The Spanish House (''Spaanse Huis''), situated at Turfpoortstraat 27, was originally a church building converted to house migrants. In 1572 Spanish troops conducted a massacre of some 700 inhabitants who had gathered to hear a peace proposal. The Spanish then fired on the assembled citizens, and went on to set fire to the town. A plaque above the lintel of the door and below the eaves commemorates the massacre. In 1615, after the population had reestablished itself, they built the city hall on the site. Part of the building was given over to De Waag (The Scales House), the municipal office entrusted with the verification of weights and measures. The building later served a French garrison as a bakery, turning out over 1000 loaves per day. From 1967 until 1992 it served as the Comenius museum. Today, the historic building serves as the Weegschaal Museum. John Amos Comenius is buried in a mausoleum on Klooster straat. This receives many visitors from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, where he was born. Comenius is known as the inventor of our school system with grades and different classes.

Transport

The nearest station is

Naarden-Bussum railway station Naarden-Bussum is a railway station in the north of Bussum, Netherlands that also serves the neighboring community of Naarden Naarden () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and former List of municipalities of the Netherlands ...

, which has services to

Almere Almere () is a Planned community, planned List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Flevoland, Netherlands across the IJmeer fro ...

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht, Netherlands. As of 31 January 2023, the municipality had ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

and

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

Notable residents

Nordin Amrabat Noureddine "Nordin" Amrabat (, ; born 31 March 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Moroccan Botola Pro club Wydad. Amrabat played for Morocco, which he represented at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, 2012 Olympic ...

(born 1987), soccer player *

Willem Arondeus Willem Johan Cornelis Arondéus (22 August 1894 – 1 July 1943) was a Dutch artist and author who joined the Dutch resistance, Dutch anti-Nazi resistance movement during World War II. He participated in 1943 bombing of the Amsterdam civil regis ...

(1894–1943), professional artist, author and

Dutch Resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

member *

Tim Coronel Tim Alfa Coronel (born 5 April 1972, in Naarden) is a Dutch racing driver. He is the twin brother of World Touring Car Championship driver Tom Coronel. Racing career Tim made his first steps in racing by winning the Dutch Citroën AX Cup in 1994 ...

(born 1972), racing driver *

Tom Coronel Tom Romeo Coronel (born 5 April 1972) is a Dutch professional racing driver. Tom's twin brother Tim Coronel, Tim is also a racer, just like their father Tom Coronel Sr. His most important results are winning the Masters of Formula 3, Marlboro Mast ...

(born 1972), racing driver *

Maarten de Bruijn Maarten de Bruijn (; born 1965) is a Dutch engineer. Born in Naarden, he graduated in 1996 at University of Amsterdam with master's degree in City Planning. 1990-1996 he single-handed designed, constructed and made functional prototype Spyker ...

(born 1965), product designer *

Annemarie Groen Annemarie Groen (born October 16, 1955) is a former backstroke swimmer from the Netherlands, who competed for her native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal R ...

(born 1955), backstroke swimmer * Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann (1923–2017), art historian *

Tom van 't Hek Maria Thomas van 't Hek (born 1 April 1958) is a Dutch former field hockey striker who played 221 international matches for the Dutch national field hockey team, in which he scored a total number of 106 goals. He made his debut on 24 September ...

(born 1958), field hockey player and coach * Frank Martin (1890–1974), Swiss composer who lived in Naarden from 1954 *

Bertil Schmüll Bertil H.W. Schmüll (born 8 June 1946) is a Dutch engraver, known professionally by his first name Bertil, who has been compared in a modern sense in form and style to Albrecht Dürer. He works with the techniques of engraving and drypoint. He w ...

(born 1946), engraver *

Salomon van Ruysdael Salomon van Ruysdael (c. 1602, Naarden – buried 3 November 1670, Haarlem) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. He was the uncle of Jacob van Ruisdael.

(~1602–1670), painter * Bart Visman (born 1962), composer * Jip Janssen (born 1997), Olympic gold medal winning field hockey player

References

External links

*
Official website

A view on the old city of Naarden
{{Authority control Geography of Gooise Meren Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2016 Cities in the Netherlands Fortifications in the Netherlands Fortified settlements Star forts 1300 establishments in Europe