Leerdam
Leerdam ( listen? / I ) is a town and municipality of the Dutch province of South Holland. She counted on 1 January 2013 as declared by the CBS 20,711 inhabitants, including the members of the village community Schoonrewoerd. The total area of the municipality is 35.18 km ².
Location and economic
Leerdam is located in the east of the province, between Gorinchem and Geldermalsen ( province of Gelderland), on the river Linge. There is a small railway station of Dordrecht - Geldermalsen - Tiel. From the motorway A15 Rotterdam - Tiel - Arnhem performs a 6 km long road to Leerdam.
Economically important is the glass industry, especially bottles and art objects made of glass are produced here. In addition, construction materials are produced, the agriculture occupies a significant share.
History
Already in 1143 ruled here with the knight's Van der Leede, which has come forth from the house van Arkel, the same glory Ter Leede. Otto van Arkel gave the place Leerdam 1407 the municipal law.
On Lingeufer he built a kind of citadel, which was destroyed in 1573. The last Van Arkel died 1428., The aristocratic family Van Egmond acquired Leerdam and raised it to a county. As 1551 Countess Anna of Egmond William of Orange married, Leerdam came to the House of Orange. Still the title of " Count " or the " Countess of Leerdam " is also a title of the king or the queen of the Netherlands.
In 1573 Leerdam joined the revolt against the Spaniards (see: Eighty Years War ) at. Their vengeance was terrible: Spanish troops devastated the castle and town.
In 1765 the first glassblowing came to Leerdam. In 1915 the Royal Glass Factory was among other things by the architect Karel PC de Bazel founded. This still existing industry, with company-owned glass museum, made not just simple bottles as a commodity but also art objects in small series and unique pieces, among others, the well-known in the Netherlands artists Chr John Lannooy (1881-1948) and Andries Dirk Copier ( 1901-1991 ).
Attractions
Leerdam is primarily a city of glass. Just outside the town of Glass Museum, and set up for the tourists glassblowing (glass Leerdam Center ) in the city center are the main attractions. Even foreign glass artists have the opportunity to work here and exhibit their work.
The former retirement home of 1770 " Hofje van mevrouw van Aerden " with gardens, built on the ruins of the city palace of the Linge, can be visited with a guide. Regent rooms some paintings of famous masterpieces hang ( Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruysdael and others). In the city there is to see a late-Gothic church and a few old houses.
At the Linge there is a marina.
In the surroundings, of the so-called Diefdeich, which forms the border between South Holland and Gelderland, is the Schoonrewoerdse Wiel, a small, incurred by a dike breach lake ( bird sanctuary ). This area is suitable for cycling.
Station Leerdam
The Leerdam railway station is a railway station in the Netherlands Leerdam place on the railway line Elst - Dordrecht. The station was opened on 1 December 1883. The station has two buildings, of which but is now only used as a station building, the other currently used as a restaurant. There are plans to open a second station in Leerdam, Leerdam the Westbahnhof. At present, the station has two platform tracks and is daily with approximately 1575 travelers / day ( 2006) frequented.
Station building
The old station is a smaller version of the station Sliedrecht. 1987 opened a new directly next to the old building next to City Hall. The design is from the Dutch architect and Bouwmeester NS Cees Douma. There his last station design, before he retired.
- ( Arriva ) Dordrecht - Gorinchem - Leerdam - Geldermalsen
Personalities
- Gerrit Grijns (1865-1944), co- discoverer of vitamin B1
Special
The city is named after the type of cheese blank Dammer.
Twinning
- Germany Pfinztal, Germany
- Czechoslovakia Novy Bor, Czech Republic