Ouderkerk aan de Amstel () is a town in the

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

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 is largely a part of 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 ...

of Ouder-Amstel; it lies about 9 km south of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. A small part of the town lies in the municipality of

Amstelveen Amstelveen () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands with a population of 92.353 as of 2022. It is a suburban part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the historical villag ...

. It is connected to

by the river

Amstel The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam. Annually, the ri ...

. There is another village called Ouderkerk in

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 ...

, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1308 as Ouderkerken, and means "old church". Old was probably added to distinguish from another village, however it is not clear which village. A candidate is Nieuwerkerk which disappeared in the Haarlemmermeer, but it can also refer to

. Ouderkerk developed at the confluence of the Bullewijk into the

river. The castle of the van Amstel family was probably located on across the present church, however it was destroyed in 1204. From the 17th century onwards, estates were built in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel by the Amsterdam merchants.

Main sights

The town is the location of the

Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel The Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Netherlands. It was purchased for use as a burying ground by the Jewish community of Amsterdam in 1614 and is located in the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, in the ...

, the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Netherlands, as well as a neogothic Roman Catholic church that was designed by Pierre Cuypers in 1865.http://www.kerkenouderkerk.nl/web/node/65 (Dutch)

Gallery

File:Ouderkerk ad Amstel, de Kerkbrug RM31977 foto6 2015-08-28 13.10.jpg, Drawing bridge: de Kerkbrug File:De Zwaan Molen in Oudekerk ad Amstel.jpg, De Zwaan ("The Swan") windmill File:Ouderkerk ad Amstel, zicht op de Ronde Hoep foto2 2015-08-28 13.26.jpg, View to de Ronde Hoep File:Ouderkerk.jpg, Entering the town of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel File:Gemeentehuis van Ouder-Amstel.jpg, Ouder-Amstel Town Hall in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ouderkerk Aan De Amstel Populated places in North Holland Amstelveen Ouder-Amstel