Voorschoten () is a village and municipality in the western

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

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 ...

. It is a smaller town in the

Randstad The Randstad (; "Rim" or "Edge" City) is a roughly crescent-shaped conurbation in the central-western Netherlands, consisting primarily of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht); their suburbs, and many tow ...

, enclosed by the cities of

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

Wassenaar Wassenaar (; population: in ) is a municipality and town located in the province of South Holland, on the western coast of the Netherlands. An affluent suburb of The Hague, Wassenaar lies north of that city on the N44/A44 highway near the Nort ...

and

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. The municipality covers an area of of which is covered by water. The town is relatively affluent, and the majority of Voorschoten's population are commuters, generally to either the Hague or Leiden. Despite the fact that it is situated in one of the most densely populated areas in the Netherlands, and, indeed, the world, the town retains a strong, independent identity and village-like atmosphere. Several buildings of historical importance are situated in Voorschoten. For example, the old Castle Duivenvoorde, and the Manor ''Vredenhof'' - rebuilt by Diederik Jansz. Graeff, and until the 18th century in the hands from the

De Graeff De Graeff (; also: '' De Graef, Graef, Graeff, Graaff'', Graaf and ''De Graeff van Polsbroek'') is an old Dutch patrician and noble family, The Amsterdam line of the family played an important role during the Dutch Golden Age. They were at the ...

family - are located in or near Voorschoten. The town's proximity to the Hague, as well as the presence of

the British School in the Netherlands The British School in the Netherlands (BSN) is an IB-classified group of independent schools situated in The Hague area. There are five campuses that together form one school: BSN Senior School Voorschoten, BSN Junior School Leidschenveen, BSN J ...

The British School in The Netherlands
/ref> in the town, and the American School of the Hague in nearby Wassenaar, means that Voorschoten has a large community of expatriates, particularly British nationals.

Floris V of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Count of Zeeland, Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peacef ...

granted Voorschoten market rights in 1282. In recent years, the settlement has seen considerable expansion, with the addition of several new areas of housing, such as Starrenburg, Krimwijk II and, most recently, Voorsche Park. The town benefits from excellent sporting and recreational facilities, including hockey, football and baseball clubs, a tennis club, a swimming pool and a golf course. There are a number of churches located throughout the town, the two most striking of which are the main church, located in Voorschoten's historic centre, and the St. Laurentius Church, located in the north of the town.

Local government

The municipal council of Voorschoten consists of 21 seats, which are divided as follows (from the most recent election results in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

Public transportation

Voorschoten has excellent public transport links to the rest of the Randstad. The

Voorschoten railway station Voorschoten is a railway station in Voorschoten, Netherlands. The first station opened on 1 May 1843 on the Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway. A new station building opened in 1886 and was closed on 17 September 1944. The station re-opened in 1969 an ...

, is situated on the Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway, and trains run regularly in the direction of the Hague and Amsterdam.

Notable people

Melchior Treub Melchior Treub (26 December 1851 – 3 October 1910) was a Dutch botanist. He worked at the Bogor Botanical Gardens in Buitenzorg on the island of Java, south of Batavia, Dutch East Indies, gaining renown for his work on tropical flora. He also f ...

(1851–1910) a Dutch botanist, founded the

Bogor Agricultural Institute IPB University (, abbreviated as IPB) is a state-run agricultural university based in the regency of Bogor, Indonesia. The institute began as an agricultural school formed by the Dutch colonial regime in the early 20th century. After independenc ...

Lodewijk Thomson Lodewijk Willem Johan Karel Thomson (11 June 1869 – 15 June 1914) was a Dutch military commander and politician. He served as a member of the Dutch parliament between 1905 and 1913. In 1914, he became the commander of a newly created Int ...

(1869–1914) a Dutch military commander and politician *

Max van der Stoel Maximilianus "Max" van der Stoel (; 3 August 1924 – 23 April 2011) was a Dutch politician and diplomat, member of the Labour Party (PvdA) and activist who served as High Commissioner on National Minorities of the OSCE from 1 January 1993 unt ...

(1924–2011) a Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist *

Piet Bukman Pieter Bukman (7 February 1934 – 15 March 2022) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and economist. Biography Bukman attended a Gymnasium in Delft from April 1946 until June 1952 and applied at ...

(born 1934) a retired Dutch politician, diplomat and economist * Benk Korthals (born 1944) a retired Dutch politician and jurist *

Helma Neppérus Helma Neppérus (born 21 June 1950, in Amsterdam) is a Dutch politician and former tax inspector and rower. As a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie) she was an MP between 30 November ...

(born 1950) a Dutch politician, former tax inspector, rower and municipal councillor of Voorschoten from 2002 *

Henk A. M. J. ten Have Henk Antonius Maria Johannes ten Have (born 1951) is Professor emeritus at the Center for Healthcare Ethics at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, U.S.A. where he has been Director since 2010. Previously, he served in UNESCO as Director of the Divi ...

(born 1951) a professor of healthcare ethics * Han Schuil (born 1958) a Dutch multimedia artist, uses compactness and tension in painting *

Hans Vijlbrief Johannes Alexander "Hans" Vijlbrief (born 17 August 1963) is a Dutch civil servant, economist, and politician, who currently serves as State Secretary for the Extractive Industries. He is a member of the social-liberal party Democrats 66 (D66). ...

(born 1963) a Dutch civil servant, economist, and State Secretary for Finance *

Rolf Muntz Rolf is a male given name and a surname. It originates in the Germanic name ''Hrolf'', itself a contraction of ''Hrodwulf'' ( Rudolf), a conjunction of the stem words ''hrod'' ("renown") + ''wulf'' ("wolf"). The Old Norse cognate is ''Hrólfr''. A ...

(born 1969) a Dutch professional golfer

Gallery

File:Voorschoten57.JPG, Voorschoten, Buitenplaats Beresteijn File:Voorschoten Starrenburg1.JPG, Voorschoten Starrenburg File:Voorschoten49.JPG, Voorschoten, Leidseweg File:Voorschoten67.JPG, Voorschoten, Leidseweg File:Van Kempen Voorschoten.JPG, Van Kempen, Voorschoten

Climate

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland