Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht () is a town 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 ...

. It is located on the island of IJsselmonde, and borders with Zwijndrecht,

Ridderkerk Ridderkerk () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of in and covers an area of of which is covered by water. The municipality of Ridderkerk also includes th ...

, and the

Noord River The Noord ("North") is a short tidal river in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The Noord starts at the city of Dordrecht where the Beneden Merwede river forks into the Oude Maas and the Noord. It joins the Lek at the ...

(with

Alblasserdam Alblasserdam () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It covers an area of , of which is water, and has a population of as of . Alblasserdam is officially a part of the Drechtsteden region. A po ...

and

Papendrecht Papendrecht () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, at the crossing of the River Beneden Merwede and the Noord River. The municipality had a population of in and covers an area of of which ...

on the other side). The jurisdiction of the municipality covers an area of of which is water. The municipality comprises no other population centres.

Name

Until 1855, the town was known as ''Hendrik-Ido-Schildmanskinderen-Ambacht en de Oostendam''. Then it merged with Sandelingen-Ambacht and its full name for a period of time was said to be ''Hendrik-Ido-Oostendam-Schildmanskinderen-Groot-en-Klein-Sandelingen-Ambacht''. This used to be the longest name of any town in the Netherlands.

Topography

''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, June 2015''

History

The area has been populated from circa the year 1000 CE. Agriculture and animal husbandry were the only means of existence for many centuries. All lands were owned by or in control of the nobility of

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...

. Not until the Eighty Years' War some industrial activities began to appear along the river dike. Furthermore,

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

and flax growing also developed. Because of the rapid industrial growth in Germany and the daily tides, two citizens of Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht started a ship breaking yard which grew into an industry resulting in the town becoming worldwide known as the "ship breaking village". The establishment of industries in the region changed the centuries-old seasonal labour to permanent work opportunities with higher wages. Several monumental farms and buildings, including the 14th century Reformed Church, remain as a reminder of its historic past.Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht Official Website

Notable people

* Cornelis Ekkart (1892–1975 in H.I. Ambacht), fencer * Flor Silvester (1923–2008), graphic designer * Henk van Lijnschooten (1928–2006 in H.I. Ambacht), composer * Bart Berman (born 1938), pianist and composer * Wim van Hanegem (born 1944), footballer * Marco Janssen (born 1969 in H.I. Ambacht), econometrician *

Wim Jansen Wilhelmus Marinus Antonius Jansen (; 28 October 1946 – 25 January 2022) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a midfielder or defender, he spent most of his career at Feyenoord, winning honours including the European C ...

(1946–2022 in H.I. Ambacht), footballer * Roeland Pruijssers (born 1989 in H.I. Ambacht), chess player

Gallery

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Drechtsteden IJsselmonde (island)