Benthuizen is a village 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

Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; en, "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the r ...

and lies about 1 km east of

Zoetermeer Zoetermeer () is a city in the Western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. A small village until the late 1960s, it had 6,392 inhabitants in 1950. By 2013 this had grown to 123,328 ...

History

Benthuizen was described between 1280 and 1287. Benthuizen developed as a

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...

excavation settlement in the Late Middle Ages. The Dutch Reformed church is a T-shaped aisleless church which was built between 1796 and 1797. The tower dates from 1672. The church was restored and extended on the north side between 1937 and 1938. Until 1991 Benthuizen was an independent municipality in that year the municipality became part of the larger municipality ''Rijneveld''. In 1993 the name was changed to

Rijnwoude Rijnwoude () was a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covered an area of of which was water. Rijnwoude was formed in 1991 as Rijneveld through the merger of the former municipalities of ...

, and in 2014 it became part of Alphen aan den Rijn. The

HSL-Zuid The HSL-Zuid ( nl, Hogesnelheidslijn Zuid, en, High-speed Line South), is a 125 kilometre-long (78 miles) Dutch high-speed railway line running between the Amsterdam metropolitan area and the Belgian border, with a branch to Breda, North ...

being constructed passes Benthuizen on the eastern side. Also the new Bentwoud (forest) is planted to the east of Benthuizen. Benthuizen has several buildings that are officially designated monuments. One of these is the historic

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 ...

known as molen de Haas. The

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

dates from 1772. In 1924, an electro motor was installed. Demolition of the windmill was considered several times, but in 1983 restoration began and the windmill was back in service in 1985. The windmill grinds both for human consumption and fodder.

Gallery

File:Benthuizen d 11 AH GM Dorpsstr 22 Woonhuis 21052020.jpg, House in Benthuizen File:Benthuizen dorpsstraat kerk hervormde gemeente.jpg, Dutch Reformed church File:Benthuizen d 11 AH GM Secr Runsinkbrink 1 Raadhuis 21052020.jpg, Former town hall File:Benthuizen dorpsstraat.jpg, Street view

References

{{Authority control Populated places in South Holland Former municipalities of South Holland Alphen aan den Rijn