Vianen () 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 a 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 central

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

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 ...

. It is located south of the

Lek river The Lek () is a river in the western Netherlands of some in length. It is the continuation of the Nederrijn after the Kromme Rijn branches off at the town of Wijk bij Duurstede. The main westbound waterway is hereafter called the Lek River. The ...

. Before 2002 it was part of 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. ...

. Vianen is made up of a historic town centre that dates back to the medieval period and was once surrounded by a defensive wall (parts of which still stand today) and moat, as well as more extensive modern housing developments to the east, south and southwest and an industrial and commercial area. Vianen is intersected by two major

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

s leading to the city of Utrecht: the A2 (Amsterdam-Maastricht) and the A27 (Breda-Almere). The municipality was merged with the municipalities of

Leerdam Leerdam () is a city and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The municipality was merged with the municipalities of Vianen and Zederik on 1 January 2019. The name of the new municipalit ...

and

Zederik Zederik () is a former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covered an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The municipality of Zederik was formed on January 1, 1986, thro ...

on 1 January 2019. The name of the new municipality is

Vijfheerenlanden Vijfheerenlanden (; ), is a municipality in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The municipality was created on 1 January 2019 through the merger of the former municipalities of Vianen (Utrecht), Leerdam and Zederik (both South Holland). ...

which is part of the Utrecht province.

The city of Vianen

Vianen received

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 1337. Vianen thrived under the counts of Brederode, who acquired its lordship through marriage early in the 15th century. It formed a self-proclaimed sovereign seignory till 1795, including Vianen, Lexmond, Hei- en Boeicop and Meerkerk. During the Middle Ages, as a "free city," Vianen could be a haven for felons and escaped serfs. Of the three castles built during the town's history,

Batestein Castle Batestein Castle () was a princely residence in Vianen in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Utrecht (since 2002), and South Holland (before 2002). It was the main seat of the Van Brederode family. The castle was famous for its gardens ...

was said to be one of the most beautiful in the Netherlands. Its only remnants are a 17th-century brick gate and water-pump. Remnants of the old city wall are visible girdling parts of the old downtown. Vianen celebrates its city rights every year in October with a traditional horse market. Besides the horses there are also other activities on this day, such as a fair and

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

and traditional Dutch games.

Notable residents

Frans van Brederode Frans van Brederode (February 4, 1465 – August 11, 1490) was a rebel in Holland against the rule of emperor Maximilian, father and regent of Duke Philip the Handsome of Burgundy. Duke Philip was Count of Holland - Brederode belonged to the Hook ...

(1465 - 1490), military leader *

Nicolaas Heinsius the Elder Nicolaas Heinsius the Elder (; 20 July 1620 – 7 October 1681) was a Dutch classical scholar, poet and diplomat. He travelled all over Europe to visit the major libraries and over time collected Europe's largest private library in the fiel ...

(1620 - 1681), classical scholar and diplomat * Marie Adrienne Françoise de Noailles, Marquise de La Fayette (1759–1807), married to French General

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

. Lived in Vianen in 1799, when her husband was released from imprisonment in Prussia but was not allowed to return to France. *

Marian van de Wal Marian van de Wal (born 21 January 1970, Vianen) is a Dutch-Andorran singer and businesswoman who was the representative of Andorra at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Originally from the Netherlands, Van de Wal runs a small ho ...

(born 1970), singer *

Jeannette Lewin Jeannette Marianne Lewin (born 27 February 1972 in Vianen, South Holland) is a former field hockey midfield player from the Netherlands, who played a total number of 114 international matches for the Dutch National Women's Team, in which she scor ...

(born 1972), hockey player *

Ridouan Taghi Ridouan Taghi (born 20 December 1977) is Moroccans in the Netherlands, Moroccan-Dutch criminal who became a prime suspect in at least ten murders related to organised crime, drug trafficking and leading a criminal organisation. On February 27, 202 ...

(born 1977), Moroccan-Dutch criminal, lived in Vianen during his childhood before becoming a leader of the

Moroccan mafia The Moroccan mafia (, , ) is a collection of Organized crime, criminal organisations that are primarily made up of people of Moroccans, Moroccan descent. These organisations are specialized in trafficking large quantities of cocaine and Designer ...

. *

Joaquín Martínez Joaquín Martínez (November 5, 1930 – January 3, 2012) was a Mexican film, television, and theatre actor. Often appearing in Westerns, Martínez had roles in '' Jeremiah Johnson'', in which he played a Crow chief, and '' Ulzana's Raid'', whic ...

(1930 - 2012), Mexican-born film and television actor, lived in

Everdingen Everdingen is a former municipality in the Netherlands. Together with Zijderveld and Hagestein, it was part of Vianen municipality from 1986 to 2018. Since 2019 it has been part of the municipality of Vijfheerenlanden. It enjoys a strategic posi ...

Gallery

File:Impressie Vianen 129.JPG File:Vianen 034.JPG File:VianenLangendijk 18.JPG File:Vianen Langendijk 56.JPG

References

External links

* {{Dutch municipality Vijfheerenlanden Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2019 Former municipalities of South Holland Former municipalities of Utrecht (province) Populated places in Utrecht (province) Vijfheerenlanden