Veenendaal

Veenendaal (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈveːnə(n)ˌdaːl]) is a municipality and a town in central Netherlands, it is part of the province of Utrecht. Veenendaal is the only population centre within its administrative borders. The municipality had a population of 65,589 in 2019 and covers an area of 19.72 km2 (7.61 sq mi).

Veenendaal
Municipality
Church in Veenendaal
Flag
Coat of arms
Location in Utrecht
Coordinates: 52°1′N 5°33′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceUtrecht
Government
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorGert-Jan Kats (SGP)
Area
 • Total19.72 km2 (7.61 sq mi)
 • Land19.51 km2 (7.53 sq mi)
 • Water0.21 km2 (0.08 sq mi)
Elevation6 m (20 ft)
Population
 (January 2019)[4]
 • Total65,589
 • Density3,362/km2 (8,710/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Veenendaler
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
3900–3907
Area code0318
Websitewww.veenendaal.nl
Topographic map of Veenendaal (town), as of March 2014

History

The original village was founded in the 16th century as a peat colony from which it got its name. Veen is the Dutch word for peat and daal for valley, so literally the name means "peat valley". In 1855 Veenendaal was hit by a flood. After that wool and tobacco industry became Veenendaal's largest source of income, roughly until World War II. Until just after World War II, Veenendaal remained a small community with only a few thousand residents. In the last fifty years, the town grew rapidly to the city with 64,000+ inhabitants of today.

Until the second half of the 20th century, Veenendaal was divided into two parts, a 'Gelders' and an 'Utrechts' part ('Gelders' comes from Gelderland and 'Utrechts' from Utrecht, both Dutch provinces). This is because in the first few centuries of the town's existence it was too small to be its own municipality. The southern half eventually became independent from Rhenen and Renswoude in 1795. The northern half separated from Ede in 1960.

In 1997 it was elected the greenest city in Europe and in 2004 of the Netherlands.

Like most Dutch cities, Veenendaal is well adapted to the high number of cyclists. A large network of bike paths make it convenient to cycle to various destinations and within the town, the bike is the most popular mean of transportation. In 2000 and 2020, Veenendaal was chosen as Fietsstad of the year, recognised as being the top city for cycling in the Netherlands.[5]

Religion

The city is known for being one of the bigger cities within the Dutch Bible Belt (together with Ede and Kampen), as it is inhabited by a considerable number (though not a majority) of conservative Protestants.


Notable residents
Linda Faber, 1976

Sport
  • Veenendaal, reformed church
  • Veenendaal, tower in the street
  • Veenendaal, windmill: stellingmolen de Vriendschap
  • Veenendaal, towngate: de Bernard van Kreelpoort

References
  1. "Burgemeester Gert-Jan Kats" (in Dutch). Gemeente Veenendaal.
  2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten" [Key figures for neighbourhoods]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  3. "Postcodetool for 3901GA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  5. "Veenendaal is de beste Fietsstad van Nederland". De Gelderlander (in Dutch). Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  6. "Kees Stip". dbnl.org (in Dutch). DBNL (Digital Library for Dutch Literature). Retrieved 5 September 2015.
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