Gorinchem
flag |
coat of arms |
province | South Holland |
mayor | Reinie Melissant-Briene ( CDA ) |
Seat of the municipality | Gorinchem |
Area - land - water |
21.93 km 2 18.87 km 2 3.06 km 2 |
CBS code | 0512 |
Residents | 36,688 (Jan 31, 2019) |
Population density | 1673 inhabitants / km 2 |
Coordinates | 51 ° 50 ′ N , 4 ° 58 ′ E |
Important traffic route | |
prefix | 0183 |
Postcodes | 4201-4208, 4213 |
Website | Homepage of Gorinchem |
Gorinchem ( ˈɣɔɾkʏm ], often written after the pronunciation Gorkum or Gorcum , is a town and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland and, according to the CBS, had 36,688 inhabitants on January 31, 2019 . The total area of the municipality is 21.93 km².
) [Location and economy
The city is located in the extreme southeast of the province on the Merwede and at the southern end of the Merwede Canal . The motorways Rotterdam - Tiel - Arnheim / Nijmegen and Utrecht - Breda cross near Gorinchem . Gorinchem has a small train station on the local railway Dordrecht - Geldermalsen . The city has a large industrial area ( Avelingen ) with an inland port, where a shipyard, machine and other metal-processing factories and wholesalers are located. Agriculture and horticulture in the area (cattle, apples) are also important.
history
Gorinchem was already a farming and fishing village around the year 1000. It is first documented in 1224. Otto van Arkel granted the town charter to the already walled place in 1382. After the Van Arkel family died out , Gorinchem came to Holland in 1417 , which favored the town's trade.
In 1566 the city became Protestant. In the Eighty Years' War Gorcum fell to the rebellious Dutch in 1572, which resulted in a massacre: Nineteen Catholic clergymen were transported away from the Geusen and later hanged because they did not want to convert to the new doctrine . These victims of the intolerance of that time are - nowadays also by many Protestants - called the martyrs of Gorkum . They were by the Pope on November 24, 1675 Clement X beatified . On June 29, 1867, he was canonized by Pope Pius IX. The best known among them is Theodor van der Eem . The relics of the martyrs of Gorkum are venerated in the Saint Nicholas Church in Brussels. Her feast day is July 9th.
In 1609 the new city fortifications were completed.
The 18th century was an era of economic decline for Gorinchem.
In the winter campaign of 1813/1814 , French troops had holed up against the advancing Prussian and Russian troops in Gorinchem. In order to have a clear field of fire, the French general Antoine-Guillaume Rampon had all buildings in the vicinity of the city torn down or burned down. The Allied siege of the city began on January 22nd, 1814, and the French capitulated on February 5th. Parts of Gorinchem had been destroyed by the fighting.
From around 1880, when the railroad was built and new land and waterways were built, a second period of prosperity began.
Gorinchemse Tijd
The meridian , which since March 17, 1937, was decisive for the Amsterdam Time (AZ) used in the Netherlands from 1909 to 1940 (5 ° east longitude ), ran exactly through Gorinchem. Therefore one spoke of the Gorinchemse Tijd (Gorinchemer time).
Attractions
The fortifications with the Dalem city gate can be counted among the sights. They were restored in 2001. The city museum is housed in the former town hall (built in 1860). Gorinchem still has some old houses.
There is a marina on the Linge River , which also flows through the municipality.
A bike tour via Arkel and the Linge dike to Leerdam or via Meerkerk to Ameide (municipality of Zederik ) is particularly recommended in early summer because of the picturesque landscape.
gallery
politics
Distribution of seats in the municipal council
The local elections on March 21, 2018 resulted in the following distribution of seats:
Political party | Seats | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 | |
Stadsbelang | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Democrats Gorinchem | - | - | - | 4th |
VVD | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
PvdA | 8th | 6th | 5 | 3 |
ChristenUnie / SGP | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
CDA | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
SP | 4th | 2 | 3 | 2 |
D66 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
GroenLinks | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Gorcum Actief | - | - | 2 | 1 |
Jezus Leeft | - | - | 0 | 0 |
total | 23 | 23 | 25th | 25th |
mayor
Reinie Melissant-Briene ( CDA ) has been the acting mayor of the municipality since August 28, 2017 . The councilors include Dick van Zanten ( Stadsbelang ), Eelke Kraaijeveld ( PvdA ), Joost van der Geest (CDA), Ro van Doesburg ( Democrats Gorinchem ) and the municipal secretary Simon de Leeuw .
Town twinning
sons and daughters of the town
- Heinrich von Gorkum (around 1378–1431), Thomist and professor of theology
- Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624), theologian and orientalist
- Boudewijn Cats (1601–1663), Roman Catholic bishop
- Cornelis Saftleven (1607–1681), painter
- Jan Meerhout (before 1630–1677), painter
- Jan van der Heyden (1637–1712), painter and inventor
- Ida Gerhardt (1905–1997), poet, classical philologist and translator
- Jan van Mersbergen (* 1971), writer and editor
- Marco van Hoogdalem (* 1972), former football player
- Fabio Jakobsen (* 1996), racing cyclist, born in Heukulem
- Frenkie de Jong (born 1997), football player
Web links
- Website of the municipality (Dutch)
- Gorcums Museum website (German, Dutch, English, French)
- Illustration by Daniel Meisner from 1625: Gorcúm. Si Nimium Intensus Subitò Tunc Frangitur Arcus ( digitized version )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand . In: StatLine . Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Dutch)
- ↑ Eenheid van tijd in Nederland , accessed April 19, 2017 (Dutch).
- ↑ Result of the local elections: 2014 2018 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on May 31, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Allocation of seats in the municipal council: 2006 2010 2014 2018 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on May 31, 2018 (Dutch)
- ↑ Installatie nieuwe burgemeester Gorinchem uitgesteld. In: RTV Rijnmond. June 23, 2017, accessed May 31, 2018 (Dutch).
- ↑ Burgemeester en wethouders ( Memento of the original dated August 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Gemeente Gorinchem, accessed May 31, 2018 (Dutch)