Moordhuizen is a hamlet 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

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

West Maas en Waal West Maas en Waal () is a municipality in the Dutch province of Gelderland. The municipality covers the western part of the , an island located between the Meuse and Waal rivers. Population centres Topography ''Dutch Topographic map of the ...

and is located about from Alphen. The hamlet is notable for its name, and is the location of the Quarles van Ufford pumping station.

Etymology

Moordhuizen translates to Murder Houses. The hamlet was first mentioned in 1791 as Morthuisen. According to professional etymologists, it means "murder houses", however the local historical society considers the name a corruption of Moethuysen meaning "houses on muddy land".

Overview

Moordhuizen is not a statistical entity, and the postal authorities have placed it under Alphen. It does not have place name signs unlike the neighbouring hamlet . In 1576, soldiers of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

pillaged and plundered the area. On the night of 25 to 26 April, the citizens of Alphen counterattacked and killed twelve soldiers at Moordhuizen.

Stadtholder In the Low Countries, ''stadtholder'' ( nl, stadhouder ) was an office of steward, designated a medieval official and then a national leader. The ''stadtholder'' was the replacement of the duke or count of a province during the Burgundian and H ...

Gillis van Barlaymond wanted to punish the citizens of Alphen, however father Wilhelmus de Man made a plea for clemency. Whether the event is related to the name of the hamlet, is unknown. At the census of 1930, Moordhuizen was home to 191 people. Nowadays, it consists of about 20 or 40 houses depending on the in- or exclusion of Sluisweg. The ferry across the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

is located in Moordhuizen, however it is officially called Lith–Alphen.

Water management

The area around Moordhuizen plays an important role in the water management of the

and

Waal WAAL (99.1 FM "The Whale") is a commercial radio station licensed to Binghamton, New York. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. WAAL is the oldest FM radio station in the Binghamton metropolitan area. It is an ...

region. In the 17th century, six polder mills were built at Moordhuizen to drain excess water. In 1791–1792, two additional windmills were added. One of mills burned down, and was replaced by two more mills in 1818. The windmills had difficulties handling the amount of water, and in 1846, a

pumping station Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as well drilling, drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastru ...

based on a steam engine was installed. In the 1930s, the steam engine was unable to cope and the lands near Alphen were often flooded. In October 1952, an electric pumping station was built at Moordhuizen, and named Quarles van Ufford pumping station after . Nowadays, the pumping station is able to move of water per minute. In January 1995, the village of Alphen aan de Maas was evacuated because of high water and a risk of a dike breach. In 1997, a monument was donated by their namesake

Alphen aan de 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 ...

. In 2012, the monument was moved to the dike near the pumping station.

Gallery

File:Lith 001.jpg, Ferry Lith–Alphen (Moordhuizen) File:Vistrap in de Maas.jpg, Fish ladder in Moordhuizen

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Gelderland West Maas en Waal