Oud-Beijerland () is a town and former 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 ...

, now a part of the

Hoeksche Waard The Hoekse Waard (; pre-1947 spelling: Hoeksche Waard) is an island between the Oude Maas, Dordtsche Kil, Hollands Diep, Haringvliet and Spui rivers in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. The island, part of the namesake municipal ...

municipality. With a population of 24,575 in 2020, it is the most populous town of the

island. The town is located adjacent to the confluence of the

Oude Maas The Oude Maas (; en, Old Meuse) is a distributary of the river Rhine, and a former distributary of the river Maas, in the Dutch province of South Holland. It begins at the city of Dordrecht where the Beneden Merwede river splits into the Noord ...

and

Spui River The Spui is a small tidal river in South Holland in the Netherlands, connecting the river Oude Maas and the Haringvliet estuary, separating the islands of Voorne-Putten and Hoeksche Waard. Historically, it forked off the Oude Maas at the town of ...

. The town of Oud-Beijerland also includes the communities

Vuurbaken Vuurbaken is a hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland and is part of the municipality of Hoeksche Waard. It lies to the south of Oud-Beijerland and about 1 km from Zinkweg. Vuurbaken is not a statistical entity, and considered part of ...

and

Zinkweg Oud-Beijerland () is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, now a part of the Hoeksche Waard municipality. With a population of 24,575 in 2020, it is the most populous town of the Hoeksche Waar ...

History

After the

St. Elizabeth's flood (1421) The St. Elizabeth's flood of 1421 was a flooding of the Grote Hollandse Waard, an area in what is now the Netherlands. It takes its name from the feast day of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary which was formerly 19 November. It ranks 20th on the list o ...

, large parts of the islands Putten and Grote Waard were lost and became clay banks and salt marshes which would be inundated at high tide and be unsuitable for habitation. In subsequent centuries, portions of land would be reclaimed. Oud-Beijerland was formed in 1559 as "Beijerland" by

Lamoral, Count of Egmont Lamoral, Count of Egmont, Prince of Gavere (18 November 1522 – 5 June 1568) was a general and statesman in the Spanish Netherlands just before the start of the Eighty Years' War, whose execution helped spark the national uprising that eventuall ...

. He was granted the rights to this area in 1557 and had the land reclaimed. This new

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 ...

was named ''Beijerland, Moerkerken, Cromstrijen en de Greup''. Circa 1624 the smaller polders Bosschenpolder and Nieuwlandpolder were added to it. Beijerland was named after Sabina of

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

(Dutch: ''Beijeren''), wife of the Count of Egmont. In 1582 the name was changed to Oud-Beijerland, in order to distinguish it from

Nieuw-Beijerland Nieuw-Beijerland is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Hoeksche Waard, and lies about 3 km south of Spijkenisse. History The village was first mentioned in 1773 as Nieuw Beierland, and is ...

which was formed several kilometers to the west. In 1604 the village got its churchtower from Sabina van Beijeren, and in 1622 the town hall was built. Oud-Beijerland then became one of the most important market places of the Hoeksche Waard. Its economy was dependent on trade, industry, agriculture and fishing. This brought prosperity which is still reflected in the elegant mansions along the Vliet. From the end of the 19th century until ca. 1955, a tram connected Oud-Beijerland with

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

. The tram was nicknamed "Het Moordenaartje" (The Little Murderer) because of the high rate of casualties involved with its operation.

Gallery

File:Oud-Beijerland, de Dorpskerk en toren RM31920+31921 foto5 2014-04-14 15.54.jpg, Oud-Beijerland, church (de Dorpskerk) and tower File:Oud-Beijerland 1866.png, Oud-Beijerland in 1866 File:Gem-Oud-Beijerland-OpenTopo.jpg, Dutch Topographic map of the town of Oud-Beijerland, June 2015

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Hoeksche Waard Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Populated places established in 1559 Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2019

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links