Oud-Beijerland () is a town and former municipality in the western
Netherlands
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, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
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, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, in the province of
South Holland, 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 muni ...
municipality. With a population of 24,575 in 2020, it is the most populous town 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 muni ...
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 Noo ...
and
Spui River.
The town of Oud-Beijerland also includes the communities
Vuurbaken and
Zinkweg.
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 of ...
, 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. 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 ...
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 l ...
(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 n ...
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 (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...
. 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
See also
Notes
References
External links
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{{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