Weesp () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, an urban area in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

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 ...

and a former municipality in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It had a population of in . It lies on the river Vecht and next to the

Amsterdam–Rhine Canal The Amsterdam–Rhine Canal ( Dutch: ''Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal'') is a canal in the Netherlands that was built to connect the port and capital city of Amsterdam to the main shipping artery of the Rhine. Its course follows a generally southeasterly di ...

in an area called the

Vechtstreek The Vechtstreek () (Dutch for "Vecht area") is a region in the Dutch provinces of Utrecht and North Holland along the Vecht River between the towns of Utrecht and Amsterdam. Located in the economic heartland of the Netherlands, it is known for it ...

. On 1 June 2019 the civil service offices of the municipality of Weesp merged with those of the municipality of Amsterdam in preparation of the merger of the two municipalities, which was finalized on 24 March 2022.

History

Until the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

the region around Weesp was an uninhabited

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

. Weesp (Wesopa in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

documents) 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 ...

in 1355 and celebrated its 650th anniversary as a city in 2005. From the late Middle Ages, the river Vecht was a defensive line for the County of Holland and it remained a military defensive line until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Weesp was strongly fortified, more than its size would justify; for most of its history it had a few thousand inhabitants. The defensive lines consisted of inundation zones, which would be flooded in wartime (the

Hollandic Water Line The Dutch Waterline ( nl, Hollandsche Waterlinie, modern spelling: ''Hollandse Waterlinie'') was a series of water-based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau in the early 17th century, and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry. Combine ...

). Behind them were fortified towns, forts, barracks and other military structures. The most comprehensive was the Defence Line of Amsterdam (

Stelling van Amsterdam The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defence Line of Amsterdam (in Dutch named ''Stelling van Amsterdam'', ) is a ring of fortifications around Amsterdam. It has 42 forts that are from the centre and lowlands, which can easily be floode ...

), a circular inundation zone around Amsterdam, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

.''Defence line of Amsterdam'' on the UNESCO website
/ref> After the Second World War, new housing was built in the west and an industrial zone with a harbour at the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal was constructed. In the 1970s a suburb was built on the south. Another suburb was built in the north which recently expanded with plans for further expansion. Before the reformation the church was dedicated to Saint Laurens. It is still in use for Protestant services. In the tower it has a famous carillon by Pieter Hemony cast in 1671. Following the 19th Century emancipation of Dutch Catholics, a Catholic church was erected in Weesp.

Population centres

The municipality of Weesp consisted of three towns: De Horn, Uitermeer, and Weesp. The north of the city of Weesp is known for its

Hogewey , operated by nursing home , is a gated model village in Weesp, Netherlands. It has been designed specifically as a pioneering care facility for elderly people with dementia. The benefit of using all-day reminiscence therapy at Hogewey, compared t ...

dementia village.

Economy

Parts of a Service, Porseleinfabriek Weesp, c

The first Dutch

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises mainl ...

originated in Weesp and dates to 1759. The venture was led by

Bertrand Philip, Count of Gronsveld Bertrand Philip Sigismund Albrecht, Count of Gronsveld-van Diepenbroick-Impel (19 November 1715, Empel – 15 November 1772, Amsterdam) was a former Dutch envoy in Berlin to Frederick the Great. He was the fourth son of Johann Bertram Arnold, Fr ...

The most famed product of Weesp is Van Houten chocolate. Before cocoa production, the local economy had been based on beer breweries, jenever distilleries, production of Weesper porcelain, and trade, due to its location on a branch point of waterways. In the 21st century, the economy is very diverse. There were large facilities of Solvay Pharmaceuticals, until February 2010 when

Abbott Laboratories Abbott Laboratories is an American multinational medical devices and health care company with headquarters in Abbott Park, Illinois, United States. The company was founded by Chicago physician Wallace Calvin Abbott in 1888 to formulate known dr ...

of North Chicago, Illinois acquired Solvay Pharmaceuticals. At this site there is a chemical plant which manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredient for Abbott brands Duphalac and Duphaston and a biologic plant which manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredient for Abbott's flu vaccine Influvac. The local specialty is the Weesper Mop cookie, which is based on mashed almond.

Tourism

Weesp is a popular stop for tourists. It has a protected historical center with canals and many buildings dating from the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Weesp has three full-size historical windmills. It features a

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

and

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

s that are part of the Defense line of Amsterdam and the

Dutch Water Line The Dutch Waterline ( nl, Hollandsche Waterlinie, modern spelling: ''Hollandse Waterlinie'') was a series of water-based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau in the early 17th century, and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry. Combine ...

. These structures have never been attacked, though. The scenic river Vecht and the small roads that line it attract yachters and cyclists. The Naardermeer area, the first

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in the Netherlands, is at 15 minutes cycling distance from Weesp; it protects the

Gooi The Gooi () is an area around Hilversum, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a slightly hilly area characterised by its green landscape, its historical charm, the wealth of its inhabitants, and its villas. The Gooi is known in the Netherlan ...

landscape. The Weesp local museum is located in the former

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

Urban area government

The seats in the Weesp administrative committee elected on 16 March 2022 for four years are divided between the political parties as follow

Transport

Weesp has one railway station, Weesp railway station, Weesp. It serves as a transfer station for passengers on local trains on the Amsterdam–

Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...

('' Oosterspoorweg'') and

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province ...

–

Almere Almere () is a planned city and municipality in the province of Flevoland, Netherlands, located about 20 km to the east of Amsterdam (as the crow flies) across the IJmeer. Bordering Lelystad and Zeewolde, the municipality of Almere comprise ...

('' Schiphollijn'' and '' Flevolijn'') lines, which bundle up just before Weesp and diverge right after. Weesp therefore benefits from 16 departures per hour, serving many destinations including

Amsterdam Centraal Amsterdam Centraal Station ( nl, italic=no, Station Amsterdam Centraal ; abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passengers a day, ...

Schiphol Airport Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport ( nl, Luchthaven Schiphol, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer in the province ...

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilvers ...

, Amersfoort Centraal and

Utrecht Centraal Utrecht Centraal, officially Station Utrecht Centraal (), is the transit hub that integrates three bicycle parkings, two bus stations, two tram stops and the central railway station for the city of Utrecht in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands. ...

four times per hour. In front of the railway station there is a small bus station with services to neighbouring towns and villages such as

Muiden Muiden () is a city and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek. Since 2016, Muiden has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Mere ...

Muiderberg Muiderberg () is a village in the municipality of Gooise Meren in the Netherlands. It lies about 6 km north of Bussum and 2 km west of Naarden, adjacent to the Naarderbos. Geography Muiderberg is in the east of the municipality of ...

, and

Nigtevecht Nigtevecht () is a village in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands with a population of 1,395. Formerly part of the municipality of Loenen; it has been part of the newly-formed municipality of Stichtse Vecht since 2011. It is situated about west ...

and to

Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA (; abbreviation: Asb), previously named Amsterdam Bijlmer (1971–2006), is a railway station in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of '' stadsdeel'' (borough) Amsterdam-Zuidoost in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The station has five ...

Notable people

George van der Mijn - Portret van Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726-1798)

* Thomas Hees (1634-1693) a Dutch diplomat, negotiated for the

Seventeen Provinces The Seventeen Provinces were the Imperial states of the Habsburg Netherlands in the 16th century. They roughly covered the Low Countries, i.e., what is now the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and most of the French departments of Nord (Fre ...

with the Barbary corsairs * Salomon van Til (1643-1713) a theologian of the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

* Bernardus van Schijndel (1647–1709) a

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and Dutch art, ...

painter of small scale

genre works Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, work, and street scenes. Such representations (also called genre works, ...

Cornelis Ploos van Amstel Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726, in Weesp – 1798, in Amsterdam), was an eighteenth-century Dutch painter and art collector. Biography According to the RKD, he was a pupil of Norbert van Bloemen and Jacobus Buys, and later became a membe ...

(1726–1798) a Dutch painter and art collector *

Coenraad Johannes van Houten Coenraad Johannes van Houten (15 March 1801 – 27 May 1887) was a Dutch chemist and chocolate maker known for the treatment of cocoa mass with alkaline salts to remove the bitter taste and make cocoa solids more water-soluble; the resulting pro ...

(1801 – 1887 in Weesp) a Dutch chemist and chocolate maker *

Willy Mullens Willy Mullens (4 October 1880, Weesp, North Holland - 21 April 1952, The Hague) was a Dutch producer, director, and promoter of movies. He is considered to be one of the early pioneers of Cinema of the Netherlands, Dutch cinema, and one of his mov ...

(1880-1952) a Dutch producer, director, and promoter of movies * Phemia Molkenboer (1883–1940) a Dutch ceramist, furniture designer and art teacher *

Willem van Beusekom Willem Jacobus Marius van Beusekom (4 May 1947 – 21 May 2006) was a Dutch broadcaster and television presenter. He was also active as a radio DJ and especially enjoyed fame as a Dutch television commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest ...

(1947–2006) a Dutch broadcaster, TV presenter and radio DJ *

Wendy van Dijk Wendy van Dijk (born 22 January 1971) is a Dutch actress, comedian and television presenter. She is best known for her portrayal of Ushi Hirosaki, a hapless Japanese journalist featured in both a series of Dutch television shows and a theatric ...

(born 1971) a Dutch actress and TV presenter IMDb Database
retrieved 09 January 2020 * Lieuwe Albertsma (born 1987) stage name Wulf, a Dutch musician

Sport

* Marco Ruitenbeek (born 1968) a former Dutch footballer with over 250 club caps *

Antoni Hardonk Antoni Hardonk (born February 5, 1976) is a Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in K-1 and the UFC. Kickboxing career Antoni made his K-1 debut at the '' K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Preliminary Scandinavia'' on June 9, 2001 whe ...

(born 1976) a Dutch mixed martial artist and kickboxer

References

External links

* *
Official website
{{Authority control, state=collapsed Cities in the Netherlands Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland