Bussum () is a commuter town and former 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 Netherlan ...

region in the south east of the province of

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

near

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilvers ...

. Since 2016, Bussum 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 56,000 inhabitants and covers an area of about . Gooise Meren has existed since 2016. It is a merger of the former municipalities of Bussum, Muiden, ...

. Bussum had a population of 33,595 in 2019 and covered an area of .

History

For a long time Bussum was not more than a hamlet situated amongst the heathlands of the

and was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town

Naarden Naarden () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and former List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Gooi region in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It has been part ...

it was governed by Naarden from 1369 onward. In 1470 Bussum was inhabited by about 250 people, which made it the smallest village in the

. Bussum became independent from Naarden in 1817, yet it was not until the arrival of a railway line in 1874 that Bussum began to flourish. Two train stations were built in the town, that still exist today: Naarden-Bussum and Bussum Zuid (

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 ...

for Bussum South), both on the connection between Amsterdam and Hilversum. The stations and the road network fostered the town's status as a satellite town of Amsterdam, allowing for

reverse commute A reverse commute is a round trip, regularly taken, from an urban area to a suburban one in the morning, and returning in the evening. It is almost universally applied to trips to work in the suburbs from homes in the city. This is in opposition to ...

also to

. From 1898 until 1907, Bussum housed the first Dutch socialist colony after the example of

Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and hi ...

Walden ''Walden'' (; first published in 1854 as ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods'') is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part ...

, set up by the writer and psychiatrist

Frederik van Eeden Frederik Willem van Eeden (3 April 1860, Haarlem – 16 June 1932, Bussum) was a late 19th-century and early 20th-century Dutch writer and psychiatrist. He was a leading member of the Tachtigers and the Significs Group, and had top billing a ...

. In 1951, Bussum hosted the first Dutch national TV broadcast and the national TV studios were located there until 1964. Bussum was set to merge with the local municipalities of

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 and is in an area called the Vechtstreek. Since 2016, Muiden has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren ...

and

Muiderberg Muiderberg () is a village in the municipality of Gooise Meren in the Netherlands. It lies about 6 km north of Bussum and 2 km west of Naarden, adjacent to the Naarderbos. Geography Muiderberg is in the east of the municipality of Mu ...

on 1 January 2016. In October 2014, the combined town councils chose the name

for the new municipality, the other options being Naarden-Bussum and Naardingerland.

Local government

The last municipal council of Bussum consisted of 23 seats, which were divided as follows (2015): *

VVD The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberalRudy Andeweg, Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingsto ...

- 5 seats * Hart voor Bussum - 4 seats * PvdA - 3 seats * CDA - 2 seats *

GroenLinks GroenLinks (, ) is a green political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and t ...

- 2 seats * D66 - 2 seats * Gooise Ouderen Partij - 2 seats * Partij voor Bussum (PVB) - 1 seat * Fractie Krabbendam - 1 seat * GooiDuursaam - 1 seat

Notable residents

Freddy Wittop Freddy Wittop (July 26, 1911 – February 2, 2001) was a costume designer. He enjoyed secondary careers as a dancer and college professor. Born Frederick Wittop Koning in Bussum, Netherlands, Wittop emigrated with his family to Brussels, where ...

(1911–2001) international costume designer *

Karel Thole Carolus Adrianus Maria Thole (20 April 1914 – 26 March 2000) was a Dutch-Italian painter and illustrator. He was born in Bussum, near Amsterdam, and was educated at State Drawing School of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. His first works were f ...

(1914–2000), painter and illustrator *

Paul Biegel Paulus Johannes "Paul" Biegel (; 25 March 1925 – 21 October 2006) was a successful and prolific Dutch writer of children's literature. Biography Paul Biegel was born in Bussum in 1925. His father, Hermann Biegel, was of German descent, and own ...

(1925–2006), author *

Willem Duys Willem Duys (17 August 1928 – 2 June 2011) was a Dutch radio and television presenter, commentator, tennis player and music producer. Duys was born in Bussum. He first started a career as a tennis player. Having made the final NK Older Youth ...

(1928–2011), radio and television presenter and record producer *

Thierry Veltman Thierry Veltman (born December 16, 1939 in Bussum) is a Dutch painter, sculptor, ceramist and art educator. He focuses in particular on figures and still life. Life and career Veltman won his first art prize at the age of 12, at an internation ...

(born 1939), artist *

Tineke Lagerberg Catharina Bernadetta Jacoba ("Tineke") Lagerberg (born 30 January 1941) is a retired Dutch swimmer who won the bronze medal in the 400 m freestyle at the 1960 Summer Olympics in a time of 4:56.9. She was also part of the Dutch team that broke the ...

(born 1941), swimmer *

Ronnie Tober Ronald Edwin Tober (born 21 April 1945) is a Dutch singer, known for representing the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 with the song "Morgen". Early life Tober was born in Bussum, Netherlands, but moved to the United States with ...

(born 1945), singer and entertainer *

Charles de Lint Charles de Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian writer of Dutch, Spanish, and Japanese ancestry. He is married to, and plays music with, MaryAnn Harris. Primarily a writer of fantasy fiction, he has composed works of urban fantasy, cont ...

(born 1951), Canadian author and musician *

Huub Rothengatter Hubertus (Huub) Rothengatter (born 8 October 1954) is a former racing driver from the Netherlands. He participated in 30 Formula One (F1) Grands Prix, debuting on 17 June 1984. He scored no championship points. He drove for Spirit, Osella and Za ...

(born 1954), racing driver *

Raoul Heertje Raoul Louis Heertje (; born 11 March 1963, in Bussum) is a Dutch comedian. Being Jewish himself, his comedy performances include Jewish humour.Anneloes Nieuwenhuizen (born 1963), field hockey defender *

Ruud Hesp Rudolfus 'Ruud' Hubertus Hesp (born 31 October 1965) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Born in Bussum, North Holland, Hesp started his career in the 1985–86 season at HFC Haarlem. He was recomme ...

(born 1965), football goalkeeper *

Ellen Elzerman Ellen Louise Elzerman (born 22 January 1971 in Bussum, North Holland) is a former backstroke and freestyle swimmer from the Netherlands, who competed for her native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There she was eliminated ...

(born 1971), swimmer *

Thekla Reuten Thekla Simona Gelsomina Reuten (born 16 September 1975) is a Dutch actress. Life and career Reuten was born in Bussum, Netherlands, the daughter of a Dutch father, Joost Reuten, and an Italian mother, who was born in Benabbio near Bagni di Lucc ...

(born 1975), actress *

Wopke Hoekstra Wopke Bastiaan Hoekstra (born 30 September 1975) is a Dutch politician who has served as second Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the fourth Rutte cabinet since 10 January 2022. He has also been Leader o ...

(born 1975), Dutch politician *

Joël Drommel Joël Drommel (born 16 November 1996) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Eredivisie side PSV. Club career Drommel used to play as a midfielder, but turned goalkeeper before joining the Almere City youth set-up. He t ...

(born 1996), football goalkeeper

Transport

The town of Bussum has two railway stations: Naarden-Bussum and Bussum Zuid.

References

External links

* *
A view on the old town of Bussum
{{Authority control Geography of Gooise Meren Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2016