Muiden () is a city and former municipality 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 ...
, in 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 ...
. It lies at the mouth of the
Vecht and is in an area called the
Vechtstreek
The Vechtstreek () (Dutch for "Vecht area") is a region in the Dutch provinces of Utrecht and North Holland along the Vecht River between the towns of Utrecht and Amsterdam. Located in the economic heartland of the Netherlands, it is known for it ...
. Since 2016, Muiden 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, ...
.
History
The first known reference to Muiden is from 953 when
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), traditionally known as Otto the Great (german: Otto der Große, it, Ottone il Grande), was East Francia, East Frankish king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the olde ...
, granted the settlement and its toll rights to
Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht
St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, or Dom Church ( nl, Domkerk), is a Gothic church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, which was the cathedral of the Diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. It is the country's only pre-Reformation cathedral, ...
. It was called ''Amuda'', meaning "mouth of the (river) A". "A" was the old name for the
Vecht river.
In 1122 Muiden was, together with
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
, granted some city rights by Emperor
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
. After the lands around Muiden were given to
Count Floris V, he began building
Muider Castle at the mouth of the Vecht river. Muiden once again 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 1296.
The first defensive works date from the first half of the 15th century. In 1590 the walls are replaced with earthen mounds with
bastion
A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...
s after a design by
Adriaen Anthonisz
Adriaan Anthonisz (also known as Adriaen Anthonisz of Alcmaer) (1527–1607) was a Dutch mathematician, surveyor, cartographer, and military engineer who specialized in the design of fortifications. As a mathematician Anthonisz calculated in 158 ...
. Muiden was the northern end of the
Dutch Water Line
The Dutch Waterline ( nl, Hollandsche Waterlinie, modern spelling: ''Hollandse Waterlinie'') was a series of water-based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau in the early 17th century, and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry. Combine ...
.
In 1673 the sea lock in the Vecht river was relocated from Fort Hinderdam to Muiden and in 1676 it was expanded with a sea wall along the Vecht mouth to prevent flooding.
Developments in warfare during the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870 prompted another round of upgrades and the construction of forts part of the
Stelling van Amsterdam
The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defence Line of Amsterdam (in Dutch named ''Stelling van Amsterdam'', ) is a ring of fortifications around Amsterdam. It has 42 forts that are from the centre and lowlands, which can easily be floode ...
, which includes the Muizenfort, the barracks on the Vestingplein, and the
casemate
A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which artillery, guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
When referring to Ancient history, antiquity, th ...
s in the
ravelins. The layout of the fortification wall was revised.
Fort Pampus Island, part of the former municipality of Muiden, was built from 1887 to 1897. Together with the lighthouse island near
Durgerdam
Durgerdam is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Amsterdam, and lies about 7 km east of the city centre, along the dyke of the IJmeer.
Durgerdam is a part of the ''deelgemeente'' (sub-munici ...
and the
artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...
at the
Diemer seawall, it was meant to protect the entrance of the
IJ Bay and the harbour of Amsterdam.
Geography
![Gem-Muiden-OpenTopo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Gem-Muiden-OpenTopo.jpg)
The former municipality of Muiden had two population centers: Muiden 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 ...
.
Attractions
![526452-Fort Pampus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/526452-Fort_Pampus.jpg)
*
Muiderslot
Muiden Castle (Dutch: ''Muiderslot'', ) is a castle in the Netherlands, located at the mouth of the Vecht river, some 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, in Muiden, where it flows into what used to be the Zuiderzee. It is one of the better kno ...
(Muider Castle), a well-preserved castle from the Middle Ages
*
Muizenfort, (Mice Fort) a 19th-century fortification part of the
Stelling van Amsterdam
The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defence Line of Amsterdam (in Dutch named ''Stelling van Amsterdam'', ) is a ring of fortifications around Amsterdam. It has 42 forts that are from the centre and lowlands, which can easily be floode ...
* Fort
Pampus
Pampus () is an artificial island and late 19th-century sea fort located in the IJmeer near Amsterdam. Pampus now belongs to the municipality of Gooise Meren and is open to visitors.
Together with the artillery battery on the lighthouse isla ...
Island is an artificial island that is part of the
Defence Line of Amsterdam
The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defence Line of Amsterdam (in Dutch named ''Stelling van Amsterdam'', ) is a ring of fortifications around Amsterdam. It has 42 forts that are from the centre and lowlands, which can easily be floode ...
(Dutch: ''Stelling van Amsterdam'').
Various regional walking and cycling routes pass Muiden.
Gunpowder factory
In 1702 the hazardous production of
gunpowder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...
was removed from the city of Amsterdam. The
vroedschap
The vroedschap () was the name for the (all male) city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a ''vroedman'', literally a "wise man". An honorific title of the ''vroedschap'' was the ''vroede vaderen' ...
of Muiden granted a permit to Reinier van Cuyk of Amsterdam to build a gunpowder mill just west of Muiden that same year.
The factory flourished during the First World War, was
liquidated
Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a company is brought to an end in Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and many other countries. The assets and property of the company are redistr ...
in 1919, and was restarted in 1922. During the 20th century its production steadily increased and the town grew towards the factory. In 1972 it was renamed "Muiden Chemie". In the 1980s, it was accused of illegal shipments to Iran. In 1990 Muiden Chemie went bankrupt and was taken over by the British company Royal Ordnance, part of
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...
. After a fire in 2001 and ongoing concerns over safety, it was decided to close the factory permanently.
Explosions since 1883:
* January 9, 1883: explosion on the factory premises, resulting in 13 deaths and much damage to the factory and Muiden.
* 1886: explosion, 2 deaths. Destroyed a part of the factory.
* 1924/1925: several explosions, 1 death.
* January 17, 1947: explosion of collected grenades on the factory premises, 17 deaths and much damage in Muiden.
* 1948: a grenade exploded, 1 death.
* 1949: explosion in a powder mill, 1 death.
* June 13, 1963: explosion in the storage depot, no casualties.
* June 2, 1966: explosion in the TNT factory, many injuries and much damage in Muiden.
* December 8, 1972: explosion in drying chamber, 2 deaths, much damage in Muiden.
* May 30, 1983: explosion, 3 deaths.
* September 9, 1983: explosion, 1 death.
* August 20, 2001: fire in packing materials storage, no explosions, no casualties.
Local government
Marleen de Pater-van der Meer
Maartje Lena "Marleen" de Pater-van der Meer (19 November 1950 – 13 December 2015) was a Dutch politician, she served as member of the House of Representatives for the Christian Democratic Appeal between 2001 and 2010. Before her time in the Ho ...
of the
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary ...
(CDA) was the last mayor of Muiden. The municipal council of Muiden consisted of 13 seats, which were divided as follows (2015):
*
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...
(VVD): 3 seats
*
Labour Party (PvdA): 3 seats
*
Democrats 66
Democrats 66 (; abbreviated D66, ) is a Social liberalism, social liberal List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands, which positions itself in the Centrism, centre of the Left–right political spectrum, p ...
(D66): 3 seats
*
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal ( nl, Christen-Democratisch Appèl, ; CDA) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. It was originally formed in 1977 from a confederation of the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary ...
(CDA): 2 seats
* Ons Muiden Muiderberg: 2 seats
Notable people
*
Abraham Samson Onderwijzer (1862-1934), rabbi and labour union founder
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Geography of Gooise Meren
Former municipalities of North Holland
Populated places in North Holland
Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2016
Cities in the Netherlands