Spanbroek is a small city 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 North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of

Opmeer Opmeer (; West Frisian: ''Opmar'' or ''Obmar'') is a municipality and town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. Population centres The municipality of Opmeer consists of the following cities, town ...

, and lies about northwest of

Hoorn Hoorn () is a city and municipality in the northwest of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the largest town and the traditional capital of the region of West Friesland. Hoorn is located on the Markermeer, 20 kilometers ...

.''ANWB Topografische Atlas Nederland'', Topografische Dienst and ANWB, 2005.

History

Spanbroek was first mentioned in 1290 as Spanbroech, and is a combination of "swampy land" and "footbridge". Spanbroek developed in the Middle Ages 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. It received city rights in 1414. The Dutch Reformed church is a single aisled church. The bottom part of the tower was built in the early 15th century and it received its current height in the late 15th century. The former town hall was built in 1598 and was used until 1881. Spanbroek was home to 248 people in 1840. During 19th century,

merged with Spanbroek in a single urban area. Spanbroek was a separate municipality until 1959, when it was merged with

. The Scheringa Museum of Realist Art is located in Spanbroek.

Gallery

File:Spanbroek Toren.JPG, Dutch Reformed church File:Beukenhof, Spanbroek.jpg, House in Spanbroek File:Overzicht van de voorgevel en de rechter zijgevel - Spanbroek - 20384533 - RCE.jpg, Street view File:Vrouw en hond, Spanbroek 01.jpg, Woman and dog statue

References

External links

* Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Opmeer {{NorthHolland-geo-stub