Oudewater

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Oudewater parish
Flag of the municipality of Oudewater
flag 		Coat of arms of the municipality of Oudewater
coat of arms
province Utrecht Utrecht
mayor Wim Groeneweg ( CDA ; acting)
Seat of the municipality Oudewater
Area
 - land
 - water 		40.16  km 2
39.34 km 2
0.82 km 2
CBS code 0589
Residents 10,204 (Jan 31, 2019)
Population density 254 inhabitants / km 2
Coordinates 52 ° 2 ′  N , 4 ° 52 ′  E Coordinates: 52 ° 2 ′  N , 4 ° 52 ′  E
Important traffic route N228
prefix 0348
Postcodes 3421
Website Homepage of Oudewater
LocatieOudewater.png
Template: Infobox location in the Netherlands / maintenance / map

Oudewater ( listen ? / I ) is a municipality in the Dutch province of Utrecht . Audio file / audio sample

Location and economy

Oudewater is located, somewhat remote, on the Dutch IJssel and borders the province of South Holland . It is eleven kilometers east of Gouda and 20 kilometers west of Utrecht .

Of importance are agriculture and small businesses . The old town attracts many day-trippers.

history

Oudewater, which already existed in the time of the Ottonians , received city ​​rights in 1265 . The Dutch Count Floris V converted it into a border fortress against the duchy of Utrecht . The place suffered a lot from the civil wars of the 14th and 15th centuries. He was not spared from the Eighty Years War either. On June 19, 1572 the Geusen took it; In 1575 he was bloodily retaken by the Spaniards; In 1577 Oudewater rejoined the rebels, but remained so moderate in matters of religion that persecuted Catholics from other places could find shelter here. Since 1482 , weighing samples have been carried out here as part of the witch trials . This privilege was confirmed by Emperor Charles V in 1545 , and women accused of witchcraft from all over the German Empire traveled to Oudewater when they had the opportunity. Initially, this happened in the town hall, from 1595 in the city scales built in 1482 as goods scales . Since the judgments were made on a more rational basis than anywhere else, a woman accused of witchcraft had a fairly good chance of being acquitted. It was not until 1970 that Oudewater came to the province of Utrecht from South Holland.

Attractions

The old town of Oudewater is an example of a well-preserved small Dutch town. Many houses from the 17th century with stepped gables can still be found in the center. The church ( late Gothic , 13th – 15th centuries) is also interesting. The town hall was completed in 1588. After a fire in 1968 it was rebuilt in 1972 in the old style. The roof of the town hall has traditionally been inhabited (since the 16th or 17th century) by storks whose nest is guarded by volunteers. The scales or witch scales (built in 1482 as goods scales, used as witches scales since 1595) are largely still in their original condition. Tourists can still be weighed there for a small fee and receive a certificate stating that they have "normal body proportions" and are not witches. From Oudewater a romantic, paved and therefore very popular path with cyclists leads to the village of Linschoten .

  • the former town hall

  • St. Francis Church

  • City moat with church

  • view on the city

Daughters and sons of the city

Web links

Commons : Oudewater  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wikisource: Oudewater in the Topographia Circuli Burgundici (Mathäus Merian)  - sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ruud F. Witte: Wim Groeneweg (62) wordt waarnemend burgemeester Oudewater. In: AD . De Persgroep Nederland , November 6, 2019, accessed November 15, 2019 (Dutch).
  2. ↑ Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand . In: StatLine . Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Dutch)
  3. ↑ Illustration by Frans Hogenberg from 1576: Here you can see in what gestalt, grand tyranny and violence Zu Oudewater is host, ... ( digitized version )