Oudewater
Oudewater | |
---|---|
Oudewater town centre | |
![]() Location in Utrecht | |
Coordinates:52°1′N4°52′E/ 52.017°N 4.867°E | |
Country | Netherlands |
Province | Utrecht |
Government | |
• Body | Municipal council |
•Mayor | Pieter Verhoeve(SGP) |
Area | |
• Total | 40.10 km2(15.48 sq mi) |
• Land | 38.90 km2(15.02 sq mi) |
• Water | 1.20 km2(0.46 sq mi) |
Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
Population (January 2021)[4] | |
• Total | 10,138 |
• Density | 261/km2(680/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
Postcode | 3420–3425 |
Area code | 0348 |
Website | www |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Gem-Oudewater-OpenTopo.jpg/265px-Gem-Oudewater-OpenTopo.jpg)
Oudewater(Dutch pronunciation:[ˈʌudəˌʋaːtər] ) is a municipality and a city in theNetherlands.
History
[edit]The origin of the town of Oudewater is obscure and no information has been found concerning the first settlement of citizens. It is also difficult to recover the name of Oudewater. One explanation is that the name is a corruption ofoldwater-meadow.Oudewater was an important border city betweenHollandandUtrecht.Oudewater (lit. "Old water" ) was of great strategic importance.
The town was grantedcity rightsin 1265 byHendrik van Vianden,thebishop of Utrecht.
Oudewater took its place in the First Free States council in Dordrecht on 19 July 1572, Oudewater was one of the twelve cities taking part in the first free convention of theStates GeneralinDordrecht.This was a meeting that laid down the origin of the State of the Netherlands, as we know it now, under the leadership of the House of Orange. This happened at the beginning of theEighty Years' War(1568–1648) when the Netherlands were still part of theSpanish Empire.After aSiege of Oudewater,the city was conquered by the Spanish on 7 August 1575, and most of its inhabitants were killed, including the family of famous Oudewater native and Protestant theologianJacobus Arminius(1560-1609).
In the 16th and 17th century, Oudewater was an important producer ofrope.In the surrounding area,hempwas cultivated. There still is a rope manufacturing plant and a rope museum in the town.
In 1970 the municipality of Oudewater moved from the province of South Holland to the province of Utrecht.
Geography
[edit]Oudewater is located at52°1′N4°52′E/ 52.017°N 4.867°Ein the southwest of the province ofUtrechtin the center of theNetherlands.It is situated where the Linschoten river flows out in theHollandse IJssel.
Oudewater is bordered by the municipalities ofMontfoort(in the northeast),Lopik(southeast),Krimpenerwaard(southwest), andBodegraven-Reeuwijk(northwest).
The municipality of Oudewater consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts:Diemerbroek,Hekendorp,Hoenkoop,Lange Linschoten,Oudewater,Papekop,Ruigeweide,andSnelrewaard.
Buildings
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Oudewater-Waag.jpg/220px-Oudewater-Waag.jpg)
Oudewater is famous for theHeksenwaag(Witches'scales). The weighing house, an official town building, became famous at the height of theEuropean witch trialsof the 16th century because people accused ofwitchcraftwere offered a fair chance to prove their innocence, unlike in many other places, where the scales were rigged.
From all over Europe, people made the journey to Oudewater to avoid prosecution. After the weighing, they received an official certificate proclaiming them not a witch. Nobody was ever found to be an actual witch in Oudewater, though the weighings were still a public spectacle. Certificates would state that "the body weight is in proportion to its build". The reasoning behind this is the old belief that a witch has no soul and therefore weighs significantly less than an ordinary person; this distinction would supposedly allow the witch to fly on a broomstick.
The weighings can be seen as a sign of the growing power of the citizenry as a third force next to that of the church and nobility. In giving out these certificates, the citizens of Oudewater, therefore, were defying the church.
The Waag is still open as a tourist attraction, and official certificates are available.
The town hall dates from 1588 and features a stork's nest. Oudewater has a monumental protected city centre with more than 250 protected houses. The church, nowProtestant,dates from the 15th century. Its tower is from about 1300. During the religious wars, until the sacking of Oudewater, bothRoman Catholicsand Protestants used this church. Thereafter Catholics were still tolerated (the Spanish occupiers being Catholic) but more in low profile.
In fiction
[edit]Oudewater is the setting for the 1975 novelDas Geheimnis des Baron Oudewaterset in the 16th century, when the Netherlands was fighting for its independence from Spain. Written by the German author Alberta Rommel, it has been described as a romantic historical novel.
The 2014 filmRecklesswas filmed in Oudewater.
Notable people
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Gerard_David_selfportrait_in_The_Virgin_among_the_Virgins.jpg/155px-Gerard_David_selfportrait_in_The_Virgin_among_the_Virgins.jpg)
- Albert van Ouwater(ca.1410/1415 – 1475) an early artist ofEarly Netherlandish paintingworking in the Northern Netherlands
- Gerard David(ca.1460–1523) anEarly Netherlandish painterand manuscript illuminator, used brilliant colour
- Rudolph Snellius(1546–1613) a Dutch linguist and mathematician, a political and intellectual force of theDutch Golden Age
- Jacobus Arminius(1560–1609) a Dutch theologian, formedArminianismand the DutchRemonstrantmovement
- Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz(1871–1944) a Dutch explorer inNew Guineaand diplomat inSouth Africa
- Jan Montyn(1924–2015) a Dutch artist, specialized inetching
- Wim Klever(born 1930 in Snelrewaard) a Dutch scholar of the Jewish Dutch philosopherBaruch Spinoza
- Dirk de Ridder(born 1972) a sailor, competed at the2000 Summer Olympics
Image gallery
[edit]-
Church near a canal
-
Church: the Sint-Franciskuskerk from Waardsedijk
-
View to the canal and the bridge from IJsselkade
-
St.-Michaëls kerk, Oudewater
-
Former townhall in 2013
References
[edit]- ^"Samenstelling en portefeuilleverdeling"[Members and tasks] (in Dutch). Gemeente Oudewater. Archived fromthe originalon 8 April 2014.Retrieved8 April2014.
- ^"Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020"[Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020].StatLine(in Dutch).CBS.24 July 2020.Retrieved19 September2020.
- ^"Postcodetool for 3421AH".Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland(in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis.Retrieved8 April2014.
- ^"Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand"[Population growth; regions per month].CBS Statline(in Dutch).CBS.1 January 2021.Retrieved2 January2022.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Tourist information
- Museum de Heksenwaag
Oudewatertravel guide from Wikivoyage