s-Gravenzande is a town in the province of

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

, in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about southwest of

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. Until 2004 it was a separate municipality and covered an area of 20.77 km² (of which 3.38 km² water). The town of 's-Gravenzande had 15,241 inhabitants in 2011. The built-up area of the town was 2.7 km², and contained 5,879 residences.Statistics Netherlands (CBS)
''Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001''
. (Statistics are for the continuous built-up area). As of 1 January 2009, 's-Gravenzande is the largest town in Westland with 19.428 inhabitants. The former municipality of 's-Gravenzande also included the township of Heenweg.

History

's-Gravenzande is the only place in the Westland with a history as a town ("stad"). 's-Gravenzande was granted town rights ("stadsrechten") in 1246 by Count William II of Holland who, just like his father Count Floris IV, regularly resided at his estate near the town. It is therefore the only town in Westland. Machteld van Brabant, daughter of Duke Henry I and wife of Floris IV, was responsible for building the town's church, and gave it a Madonna statue to which miraculous powers were attributed. 's-Gravenzande subsequently became a pilgrimage site. The neighborhood of Gravesend, Brooklyn, New York in the United States is said by some to have been named for 's-Gravenzande.Letter to the Editor: Gravesend
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', December 20, 1992. Accessed October 28, 2007. "As a historical archeologist specializing in the early history of New York, I can tell you that what is now the Gravesend section of Brooklyn was not named for the hometown that Lady Deborah Moody and her followers left in England, as you stated in your article about the community on Oct. 18, but by the Dutch governor-general, William Kieft. Kieft chose to name the settlement " 's'Gravesande" after the town in Holland that had been the seat of the Counts of Holland before they moved to The Hague. It means the count's sand or beach." A 1656 Dutch map of Nova Belgica (New Netherland) confirms this, as it shows several Dutch names of towns like Vlissingen (Flushing), Breukelen (Brooklyn), Amersfoort (Flatlands), Heemstee (Hempstead) and Gravesant ('s-Gravenzande).

References

External links

Forum van de stad 's-Gravenzande
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravenzande 1246 establishments in Europe Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2004 Cities in the Netherlands Populated places in South Holland Former municipalities of South Holland Westland (municipality), Netherlands