Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel (; population: 22,344 in 2004) is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the 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 ...

. Since 2010 it is part of the new municipality of

Zuidplas Zuidplas () is a municipality in the Netherlands located in the province of South Holland. It was established on 1 January 2010 by the joining of Moordrecht, Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel, and Zevenhuizen-Moerkapelle. It had a population of 41,753 a ...

. It is situated along the Hollandsche IJssel river, across from the town Ouderkerk aan den IJssel. Within the boundaries of this municipality lies the lowest point of the Netherlands: 6.76 m (22.2 ft) below

Amsterdam Ordnance Datum Amsterdam Ordnance Datum or ' (NAP) is a vertical datum in use in large parts of Western Europe. Originally created for use in the Netherlands, its height was used by Prussia in 1879 for defining ', and in 1955 by other European countries. In the ...

(mean summer sea level in Amsterdam). It is the hometown of Miss Universe 1989,

Angela Visser Angela Visser (born 18 October 1966) is a Dutch actress, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1989. She was the first Dutch woman to win the title of the Miss Universe in 1989. Visser, who had previously worked as a model and be ...

History

Nieuwerkerk was probably first formed circa 1250. The first reference to "''Nuwekerke''" is from 1282 when Count Floris V loaned the land between

Kralingen Kralingen is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland, now a neighbourhood of Rotterdam. It is located about 3 kilometres east of the city centre, in the borough Kralingen-Crooswijk. Kralingen was a separate municipality until 1895 ...

and Gouda to a certain Traveys of Moordrecht. Another reference is from 22 January 1317 when Count William III of Holland sold the fiefdoms Capelle and Nieuwerkerk to

John III van de Werve, Lord of Hovorst John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

for 325 Dutch Pounds. The original old village formed on a mount between shallow lakes. These lakes were the result of peat harvesting. In 1839 the first one was drained and made into a polder, the current Zuidplaspolder, and in 1866, the Alexanderpolder was made. The railway between Rotterdam and Gouda was built in 1855 and resulted in the growth of the village. Other periods of rapid development followed after the Second World War and in the early 1980s. During the

North Sea Flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding. The storm and fl ...

, a dike along that river broke, and the mayor of Nieuwerkerk successfully managed to plug the hole by ordering shipper Arie Evegroen to navigate his grain barge ''Twee Gebroeders'' (Two Brothers) into it.Heroes of February 1953 Flood finally recognized for saving untold lives
goDutch.com, Feb 09, 2009

Transport

* Railway station:

Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel (; population: 22,344 in 2004) is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Since 2010 it is part of the new municipality of Zuidplas. It is situated along the Holla ...

References

External links

Map of the townOfficial website of Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel
(in Dutch) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nieuwerkerk Aan Den Ijssel Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2010 Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Zuidplas