Wormer is a town 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 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 is a part of the municipality of

Wormerland Wormerland () is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Population centres The municipality of Wormerland consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: It borders the municipalities of: ...

, and lies about 13 km northwest of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. The town is situated in the

Zaan The Zaan () is a small river in the province of North Holland in the northwestern Netherlands and the name of a district through which it runs. The river was originally a side arm of the IJ bay and travels 13.5 kilometers (8½ miles) through the m ...

district, on the eastern side of the river Zaan, across from

Wormerveer Wormerveer is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 13 km northwest of Amsterdam. Wormerveer developed in the 15th century on the west bank of the Zaan river. It started t ...

. The town is surrounded by the nature area

Wormer- en Jisperveld The Wormer- en Jisperveld is a nature area, covering 18 km2 (of which 0.7 km2 are a protected area), situated between the towns De Rijp, Purmerend en Wormerveer. The area consists mainly of marshland, grassland and open water. Wildlife ...

. The village of

Oostknollendam Oostknollendam is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wormerland, and lies about 17 km north west of Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital an ...

, the

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

Schaalsmeer (reclaimed in 1631), the polder Enge Wormer (reclaimed in 1634) and a part of the Markerpolder also historically belong to the area of Wormer. Wormer, together with Engewormer (Wormer c.a.), was a separate municipality until 1991, when it became a part of the new municipality of Wormerland.

History

The inhabitants of Wormer repulsed several attacks of the

Frisians The Frisians are a Germanic ethnic group native to the coastal regions of the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. They inhabit an area known as Frisia and are concentrated in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Groningen and, in Germany, ...

and West Frisians in 1280.

Floris V, Count of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and 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 peaceful reign, modern ...

rewarded this with an exemption from paying toll in Holland, an important privilege at that time. Important skirmishes between Spanish troops and the

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 ...

took place in Wormer during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

. At

Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Ho ...

day (

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...

) 30 May 1574, 1400 Spanish soldiers tried to capture Wormer and

Jisp Jisp is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wormerland, and lies about 8 km west of Purmerend. History Jisp, in older forms Gispe (1328, 1387), Gyspe (1344), is named after a river with the ...

. They were crushingly defeated by a combined force of locals, Geuzen and filibusters, bringing an end to the Spanish tyranny in the

Waterland Waterland () is a municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland. It is situated north of Amsterdam, on the western shore of the Markermeer. It is well-known for comprising the touristy towns of Broek in Waterland and M ...

area. In the following century Wormer became very prosperous from the production of beschuit (

rusk A rusk is a hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread. It is sometimes used as a teether for babies. In some cultures, rusk is made of cake, rather than bread: this is sometimes referred to as cake rusk. In the UK, the name also refers to a whea ...

). At least 130 bakeries in the town were once supplying the countless ships of the Dutch East India Company. Other important industrial activities in the town during this period were the production of starch and the processing of whale blubber. At least 66 windmills were once built in Wormer, but nowadays only one windmill (de Koker) has been preserved.C. Mol, ''Uit de geschiedenis van Wormer'', Meyer Pers N.V., Wormerveer.

Famous (former) residents of Wormer

* Geertruid Adriaansdochter, Catholic martyr *

Thijs Al Thijs Joris Al (born 16 June 1980 in Zaandam) is a Dutch cyclist specializing in competitive mountain biking and cyclo-cross. Al rode his first mountain bike race in 1995.

, mountain biker and cyclo-cross racer * George Baker (Hans Bouwens, 1944), singer and songwriter of the George Baker Selection *

Rop Gonggrijp Robbert (Rop) Valentijn Gonggrijp (born 14 February 1968) is a Dutch hacker and one of the founders of XS4ALL. Biography Gonggrijp was born in Amsterdam. While growing up in Wormer in the Dutch Zaanstreek area, he became known as a teenage hack ...

(1968), hacker, internet pioneer * Pieter Jan Leeuwerink (1962), Dutch international volleyball player († 2004) *

G.W. Sok G.W. Sok (born 1957, real name Jos Kleij) is a Dutch singer, best known for his 30-year career as the frontman of the Ex. G.W. Sok left the Ex in 2008 to focus on a solo career and collaboration projects with other musicians, participation in ...

, vocalist of anarcho-punk band The Ex *

Terrie Terrie is a given name. Notable people with this name include the following: *Terrie Hall (1960–2013), American anti-smoking and anti-tobacco advocate *Terrie Huntington, American politician *Terrie Miller (born 1978), American-born Norwegian swi ...

, guitarist of anarcho-punk band The Ex *

Micky van de Ven Micky van de Ven (born 19 April 2001) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a defender for VfL Wolfsburg. International career In October 2022, van de Ven was included in the preliminary Netherlands squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup ...

(2001), professional footballer * Thorwald Veneberg, professional road bicycle racer *

Piet de Wit Piet de Wit (born 6 March 1946) is a retired cyclist from the Netherlands who won the Amateur UCI Motor-paced World Championships in 1966 and 1967.His sporting career began with DTS Zaandam. He then moved into the professionals category and won ...

(1946), track bicycle racer, world champion stayering in 1966 and 1967

References

External links

Website of the municipality of Wormerland
{{Authority control Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Wormerland