Bleskensgraaf is a town in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

Molenlanden Molenlanden () is a municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. The municipality was created on 1 January 2019 by merging the municipalities of Giessenlanden en Molenwaard. It is located east of Rotterdam along the Lek (river) ...

, and lies about 10 km northeast of

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...

. It has an area of 1272 hectares. On 1 January 2009 Bleskensgraaf and Hofwegen had 2797 inhabitants in 936 residences. Until 1855, Bleskensgraaf was a separate municipality. In 1855 the

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. ...

seigniory In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; french: seigneur, lit=lord; la, senior, lit=elder), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. ''Nulle terre ...

Bleskensgraaf and the

Hofwegen Hofwegen is a hamlet in Molenlanden, which is a municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located on the south bank of the small river Graafstroom. It is now considered to be part of the village of Bleskensgraaf Bleskensgraaf is a ...

' merged into one municipality named 'Bleskensgraaf and Hofwegen'. In 1986 it became the new municipality Graafstroom together with 6 adjacent towns. The town hall of Graafstroom was located in Bleskensgraaf. From 2013 Graafstroom was part of Molenwaard, till 2019 when it merged into Molenlanden. The town got its name because of the landlord (count) "Willem van Blassekijn". Over the years the name Blassekijnsgraeve changed into Bleskensgraaf. On letters it often says "Bleskensgraaf CA". CA stands for the Latin phrase 'cum annexis' which means 'with surroundings'. The centre of Bleskensgraaf is made up out of new buildings. The old centre was bombarded during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

at 06:25 on 12 May 1940. Seven people died and forty houses were destroyed. The town hall was leveled and the church sustained irreparable damage. The reconstruction was fast and took a couple of years. In September 1948 the new church officially opened and the new town hall opened on 12 May 1955. Old buildings that remain are a couple of

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...

s: the flour mill 'Molen de Vriendschap' (Friendship Mill) built in 1890 and two Hollow post mills, named the 'Hofwegense Molen' and the 'Wingerdse Molen' built in 1513, and many old farmhouses. Image:Gebombardeerde kerk in Bleskensgaaf.jpg, The damaged Dutch Reformed church after the bombardment Image:Bleskensgraaf, molen foto1 2007-03-15 14.33.JPG, Flourmill 'De Vriendschap' Image:Bleskensgraaf, kerk op afstand 2007-03-15 14.36.JPG, Left: Town Hall
Right: Dutch Reformed Church Image:Bleskensgraaf Wingerdse molen bij nacht.jpg, Water Mill 'De Wingerdse Molen'

External links

Map of the municipality in 1868
{{Authority control Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Molenlanden