Vlaardingen () is a city in

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 ...

in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river at the confluence with the Oude Maas. The municipality administers an area of , of which is land, with residents in .

Geography

The city is divided into a northern part (locally known as the "Holy") and a southern part by the A20 motorway. On the east the city is separated from

Schiedam Schiedam () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen, and south of Delft. In the south the city is connected with the village ...

by the A4 motorway. Other places nearby are Maassluis to the west, Schipluiden and

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

to the north,

and Rotterdam to the east and

Spijkenisse Spijkenisse () is a city in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. Following an administrative reform in 2015, it is part of the municipality of Nissewaard, and has a population of 72,500. It covers an area of of which is water. It is part ...

in the south-west, on the other side of the Nieuwe Maas. The A20 connects Rotterdam to Hook of Holland. The Beneluxtunnel (the tunnel that runs under the Nieuwe Waterweg) connects the A20 to the A15. The centre of the town is on the west side of the old harbour, which is originally a stream ('De Vlaarding') from the peat lands north and east of the town, running to the Meuse estuary.

History

The area around Vlaardingen was already settled by about 2900 to 2600 BC. In 1990, a skeleton dated at about 1300 BC was dug up in the periphery of Vlaardingen; some human nuclear DNA was identified, the oldest found anywhere in the Netherlands. Although in the Roman Age a stronghold or maybe even a vicus ''Flenio'' must have been found in nowadays Vlaardingen, between roughly 250 CE and 700 CE the region seems to have been uninhabited, like much of the west of the Netherlands. In 726 or 727 the area is again mentioned as ''In Pagio Marsum'', where a little church was established, around which Vlaardingen formed. The church is mentioned on a list of churches Willibrord, the ''Apostle to the Frisians'', inhered to the Abbey of Echternach. In 1018 Vlaardingen was a stronghold of Dirk III, who levied an illegal toll on ships on the Meuse river. An army sent by German Emperor Henry II in order to stop this practice was defeated by Dirk III in the (First) Battle of Vlaardingen. In 1047, his successor Dirk IV repelled another such attack (Second Battle of Vlaardingen). The first of these battles was commemorated in 2018 by a historical reenactment The flood disaster of December 21, 1163 (Saint Thomas Flood), ended the growth of Vlaardingen. The Counts of Holland moved away and its development stagnated. It is known that in 1273 Vlaardingen was granted

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 ...

by Floris V, Count of Holland. Older city rights are possible, but not provable. In 1574, during the Eighty Years War of Dutch independence, a group of Watergeuzen burnt down Vlaardingen as commanded by William of Orange to prevent the Spanish from capturing the town. Vlaardingen later became a shipbuilding area and a significant harbour for the

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

fishing industry. The fishing boats (originally "haringbuizen", later also "sloepen" and "loggers") ceased to use Vlaardingen in the years after World War II. In 1855 the former municipality of

Zouteveen Zouteveen is a neighbourhood in the municipality Midden-Delfland in the province South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located between Vlaardingen and Delft, about 3 km south of the town of Schipluiden. There are two hamlets in this area: ...

was merged into the municipality

Vlaardingerambacht Vlaardinger-Ambacht in 1866 Vlaardinger-Ambacht is a former municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. It covered the countryside around the city of Vlaardingen Vlaardingen () is a city in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is loc ...

which in turn was merged with Vlaardingen during the occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War by the Germans in 1941. Because of the industrialization in and close to Vlaardingen, the city suffered from heavy air pollution and, sometimes, pathogenic smog during the 1970s. One day, a high school had to be closed because of the smog. Many environmental groups arose in and around Vlaardingen as it was seen as one of the most polluted cities of the country. Vlaardingen consists of eight districts/neighbourhoods: #Vlaardingen Centrum #Westwijk #Vettenoordse polder (includes industry) #Vlaardingen Oost #Ambacht/Babberspolder #Holy Zuid #Holy Noord #Broekpolder

Politics

Mayor: Bert Wijbenga (VVD). Seats in the city council after the municipal elections in 2010: * Labour Party ( PvdA), 6 seats * Vlaardingen Ahead 2000/Livable Vlaardingen (VV2000/LV), 6 seats * Groenlinks ( GL), 4 seats * People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( VVD), 4 seats * Christian Democratic Appeal ( CDA), 3 seats * Socialist Party ( SP), 3 seats * Democrats 66 ( D66), 2 seats * Christian Union/Political Reformed Party ( CU/ SGP), 2 seats * City Interests Vlaardingen (SBV), 2 seats * Proud of the Netherlands ( TON), 2 seats * General Elderly Alliance ( AOV), 1 seat

Economy

A Unilever research centre is located in Vlaardingen (located next to the former

Sunlight Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when t ...

factory, later called Lever Faberge Sourcing Unit Vlaardingen). There are still some ship repair business(es) in Eastern Vlaardingen beside the Nieuwe Maas River. The was for many years the largest privately owned artificial harbour in the world. The last major herring factory, Warmelo & Van Der Drift, left Vlaardingen in the middle of 2012 to relocate to Katwijk aan Zee. There are still some ferry terminals ( DFDS Seaways, sailing to Felixstowe and

Immingham Immingham is a town, civil parish and ward in the North East Lincolnshire unitary authority of England. It is situated on the south-west bank of the Humber Estuary, and is north-west from Grimsby. The region was relatively unpopulated and un ...

and

P&O Ferries P&O Ferries is a British shipping company that operates ferry, ferries from United Kingdom to Ireland, and to Continental Europe (France, Belgium and the Netherlands). The company was created in 2002 through mergers and acquisitions within P&O ...

sailing to

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

Attractions

Monuments

Historical buildings in the town include the ''Grote Kerk'' (Big Church), the '' Waag'' (Weighing Bridge) next to the church and the old town hall (used for weddings), all on the ''Markt'', the former marketplace, the ''Visbank'' (Fish Auction) at the harbour and the ''Oude Lijnbaan'' (Old Ropewalk, where ropes were made). The ''Grote Kerk'' was probably established between 1156 and 1164 and has been expanded, damaged and rebuilt. To the north of the old harbour is the old Aeolus windmill, which operates and sells ground cereals. The harbour is a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

and open-air museum with old ships. At the harbour is the ' (before: '' Visserijmuseum'' and the ''Visserij en Vlaardings Museum''), a museum dedicated to commercial sea fishing and lore. A war memorial to the crew of a Wellington bomber from

No. 142 Squadron RAF No. 142 Squadron was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). History No. 142 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was formed at RFC Ismailia, Egypt in 1918, flying a mixed bag of reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. On the formatio ...

killed when it was shot down over Vlaardingen in March 1942 has been erected in ''Wijkpark Holy-Noord'' in June 2012. On ''Emaus Cemetery'' in

Vlaardinger Ambacht Vlaardinger-Ambacht in 1866 Vlaardinger-Ambacht is a former municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. It covered the countryside around the city of Vlaardingen. The municipality existed between 1817 and 1941, when it became part of Vl ...

six members of the resistance group "

Geuzen Geuzen (; ; french: Les Gueux) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen (; ; frenc ...

" are buried. They were executed in March 1941. Nine adjacent headstones are symbolic for nine other members of the "Geuzen" who were also executed and buried elsewhere.

Events

The "Vlaardings Loggerfestival" (''Logger'' is a traditional ship used for

fishery, the customary English name is '' lugger'') is held on the first Saturday of June. The festival used to be called "Haring en Bierfeest" (translation:

and beer festival), but in 2003 the mayor decided to rename it. In 2015, the name "Haring en Bierfeest" reappeared again. Since 1987, the '' Geuzenpenning'' is an award that is yearly bestowed by a local foundation in cooperation with the town's municipality to human rights activists from all over the world.

Notable residents

People who are born in or (have) lived in Vlaardingen:

Counts of Holland

* Floris I, Count of Holland (ca.1017-1061)

Count of Holland The counts of Holland ruled over the County of Holland in the Low Countries between the 10th and the 16th century. House of Holland The first count of Holland, Dirk I, was the son or foster-son of Gerolf, Count in Frisia (Dijkstra suggests th ...

then called

Frisia Frisia is a cross-border cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. The region is traditionally inhabited by the Frisians, a West Ger ...

, 1049-1061 *

Dirk IV, Count of Holland Dirk IV (ca. 1020/1030 – 13 January 1049) was Count of Holland from 1039 to 1049 (which was called Frisia at that time). Dirk's date of birth is unknown but it was probably ca. 1030 or shortly before, he was described as "adolescent" at the ti ...

(ca.1025–1049) was

1039–1049, then called

Dirk V, Count of Holland Dirk V (1052 – June 17, 1091) was Count of Holland (called Frisia at that time) from 1061 to 1091. Dirk V succeeded his father, Floris I, under the guardianship of his mother, Gertrude of Saxony. William I, Bishop of Utrecht, took advantage o ...

(1052–1091) was

10611091, then called

Floris II, Count of Holland Floris II, called Floris the Fat ( – 2 March 1121) was the first from the native dynasty of Holland to be called Count of Holland, reigning from 1091 until his death. Life Floris was the son of his predecessor Dirk V and his wife Othilde. Fl ...

(ca.1085-1121)

1091-1121

Bos Dutch politician kabinet Balkenende IV

Public thinking & Public Service

Gerard Callenburgh Gerard Callenburgh (6 December 1642 – 8 October 1722) was a Dutch admiral. Gerard was born in Willemstad, the son of a wood-trader, but chose to enter the Dutch navy in 1661 as a cadet, serving the Admiralty of the Maze. He was made second lieu ...

(1642–1722) was a Dutch admiral and town councillor and Burgomaster * Koos Vorrink (1891–1955) a Dutch politician * Cornelis Moerman (1893-1988) a general practitioner and keen

pigeon fancier Pigeon keeping or pigeon fancying is the art and science of breeding domestic pigeons. People have practiced pigeon keeping for at least 5,000 years and in almost every part of the world. In that time, humans have substantially altered the morph ...

* Catharina Halkes (1920-2011) a Dutch theologian and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

Dirk Hoogendam Dirk Hoogendam, a.k.a. Dieter Hohendamm, alias ''The Boxer'' (18 May 1922, Vlaardingen - 8 August 2003 in Ringgau, Germany), was a Dutch war criminal. Hoogendam was sentenced to death after World War II because of his service in a foreign army ...

(1922-2003) a Dutch war criminal *

Geert Mak Geert Ludzer Mak (born 4 December 1946 in Vlaardingen) is a Dutch journalist and non-fiction writer. Honors For his book ''In Europe: Travels through the Twentieth Century'' he received the Leipziger Buchpreis zur Europäische Verständigung (20 ...

(born 1946) a Dutch journalist and a non-fiction writer about history * Agnes van Ardenne (born 1950) a retired Dutch politician and diplomat * Wouter Bos (born 1963) a retired Dutch politician, former Deputy Prime Minister 2007-2010 *

Kees van der Staaij Cornelis Gerrit "Kees" van der Staaij (; born 12 September 1968) is a Dutch politician serving as a member of the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of Representatives since 1998 and Leader of the Reformed Political Party (''Staatkundi ...

(born 1968) a Dutch politician *

Arjan El Fassed Arjan El Fassed (born 5 August 1973) is a former Dutch politician and human rights activist as well as development aid worker. As a member of GreenLeft (GroenLinks) he was an MP from 17 June 2010 to 19 September 2012. He focused on matters o ...

(born 1973) a former Dutch politician, human rights activist, a development aid worker and director of Open State Foundation

The Arts

* Dolf van der Linden (1915–1999) a Dutch conductor of popular music *

Bassie en Adriaan Bassie & Adriaan was a television programme series focusing on the adventures and lives of a circus duo consisting of clown Bassie and acrobat Adriaan, played by real-life circus duo Bas and Aad van Toor. Written by Aad van Toor and originally p ...

, (brothers, born 1935 & 1942) actors in a children's TV show *

Gerrit Berveling Gerrit Berveling (born 1 April 1944, Vlaardingen) is a Dutch Esperanto author. Biography He studied Classical Languages (Latin and Greek) at Leiden University, and Theology at Utrecht and Leiden Universities. After 14 years of teaching general ...

(born 1944) a Dutch Esperanto author * Threes Anna (born 1959) a novelist, theatre and film maker * Hans Neleman (born 1960) an international photographer and film director from Connecticut *

Martyn LeNoble Martyn LeNoble ( nl, Martijn LeNoble; born 14 April 1969) is a Dutch bassist and a founding member of the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros. He started his musical career by playing bass in a Dutch punk rock band when he was 14. In 1989, h ...

(born 1969) a Dutch bassist and a founding member of the alternative rock band Porno for Pyros * Karen Mulder (born 1970) a Dutch model, singer and former supermodel * Rik van de Westelaken (born 1971) a Dutch TV presenter IMDb Database
retrieved 08 January 2020 * Rajacenna van Dam (born 1994) a Dutch hyper realistic pencil drawing artist Aad van der vaart

Science & Business

* Ericus Verkade (1835–1907) a Dutch businessman, founded Verkade manufacturing company * Hans Bos (born 1950) a Dutch biochemist, cancer researcher and academic *

Roel Pieper Roland "Roel" Pieper (born 1956, Vlaardingen, Netherlands) is a Dutch IT-entrepreneur. Early life and education Pieper was born (April 13, 1956) in Vlaardingen, son of an engineer at a car manufacturer. His father died when Pieper was 20, and on ...

(born 1956) a Dutch IT-entrepreneur *

Aad van der Vaart Adrianus Willem "Aad" van der Vaart (born 12 July 1959) is a Dutch professor of Stochastics at the Delft Institute of Applied Mathematics at Delft University of Technology. Education and career Van der Vaart was born in Vlaardingen. He earned his ...

(born 1959) a Dutch professor of stochastics at

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

Martinus van der Knaap Martinus may refer to: * Martin (magister militum per Armeniam), 6th-century Byzantine/East Roman general * Martinus (son of Heraclius), 7th-century Byzantine/East Roman co-emperor * Martinus of Arles, doctor of theology, priest, and author on demo ...

(born 1959) a Dutch marine biologist and sustainable development officer at

FAO of The UN The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

* Menno Schilthuizen (born 1965) a Dutch evolutionary biologist, ecologist and academic researcher *

Jim Stolze Jim Stolze (born November 30, 1973) is a tech-entrepreneur located at Amsterdam Science Park, mostly known for his work in the world wide TEDx Community and the European Startup scene. Author A graduate of Vrije Universiteit, VU University Amste ...

(born 1973) a tech-entrepreneur at Amsterdam Science Park and with TEDx

Sport

Andries Hoogerwerf Andries Hoogerwerf (29 August 1906 – 5 February 1977) was a Dutch track and field athlete, naturalist, ornithologist and conservationist, who spent much of his working life in the Dutch East Indies and Dutch New Guinea. Hoogerwerf's athletic ...

(1906–1977) a middle-distance runner in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

, later a scientist and conservationist in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

Rudie Liebrechts Rutgerus (Rudie) Liebrechts (born 6 September 1941) is a former Dutch speed skater and racing cyclist. Liebrechts was born in Vlaardingen and was among the best Dutch speed skaters from 1961 to 1967. He twice became Dutch Allround champion, in 1 ...

(born 1941) a Dutch former speed skater and racing cyclist *

Paul-Jan Bakker Paul-Jan Bakker (born 19 August 1957) is a Dutch former international cricketer, who also played domestic cricket at first-class and List A level in England for Hampshire from 1986 to 1992, taking 269 wickets across both formats. He later play ...

(born 1957) a former Dutch cricketer *

Juliette Bergmann Juliette Bergmann (previously Meijer) (born November 30, 1958) is a Dutch female bodybuilding champion. Early years and education Bergmann (born Juliette Maria Suzanna Bergmann) was born in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, from a Dutch mother and a ...

(born 1958) a Dutch female bodybuilding former champion * Wim Koevermans (born 1960) a former football central defender with 340 club caps *

Harald Wapenaar Harald Wapenaar (born 10 April 1970) is a Dutch former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. As well as playing in his native Netherlands, he also played league football in It ...

(born 1970) a Dutch former football goalkeeper with 341 club caps * Caroline Vis (born 1970) a retired professional tennis player *

Frank Kooiman Frank Kooiman (born 13 January 1970) is a Dutch former football goalkeeper. He made his debut in Dutch professional football on 25 September 1994 for Sparta Rotterdam, replacing Edward Metgod Edward Metgod (born 19 December 1959 in Amsterdam, ...

(born 1970) a retired Dutch football goalkeeper with about 310 club caps * Wilma van Hofwegen (born 1971) a former freestyle swimmer, team silver medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Serge Zwikker Serge Zwikker (born April 28, 1973) is a Dutch former basketball player. High School career Zwikker, the son of a police officer and a mother who worked in the flower business, first came to the United States in 1988, playing for Don Kent at Mo ...

(born 1973) a Dutch-American former basketball player. * Mark Huizinga (born 1973) a Dutch judoka champion and gold medallist at the

and bronze medallist at the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

and

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

* Daniëlle de Bruijn (born 1978) a water polo player, team gold medallist at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

* Edith Bosch (born 1980) a Dutch judoka, silver medallist at the

and bronze medallist at the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

* Chantal Achterberg (born 1985) a Dutch rower, team bronze medallist at the

and team silver medalist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

Carlo van Dam Carlo van Dam (born 27 February 1986 in Vlaardingen) is a Dutch racing driver. He is currently a factory driver for Subaru and he is the reserve and tear driver for R&D Sport in the Super GT Series while driving for Subaru Tecnica International ...

(born 1986) a Dutch racing driver * Kevin de Koning (born 1994) a Dutch professional '' Starcraft II'' player

Twin city

Gallery

File:Vlaardingen oude stadshuis 2006-04-02 14.59.JPG, File:Vlaardingen Visbank 2006-04-02 15.07.JPG, File:Vlaardingen brug achter de Visbank 2006-04-02 15.24.JPG, File:Vlaardingen windmill.jpg, File:Villa IJzermans PICT3951.jpg, File:Vlaardingen 5-5-2005 8-46-42.jpg, File:Raadhuis Vlaardingerambacht in 1978.jpg, File:Vlaardingen_plezierjachten_in_haven_2006-04-02_15.32.JPG, File:Vlaardingen, bedrijfspand H van Toorn bij de Grote Kerk foto3 2011-06-26 10.34.JPG,

References

External links

*
English version
*
The history of Vlaardingen website
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland