Bunschoten

( Listen? / I ) bunschoten is a municipality in the Netherlands, Utrecht. It has 20,310 inhabitants ( 1 January 2013). Their total area is about 35 km ². It consists of the long-drawn twin village Bunschoten- Spakenburg ( Spakenburg is the northern part, with the fishing harbor at Eemmeer ), and the river Eem the small, achievable by a ferry farming village Eemdijk.

Location and economic

Bunschoten located in the northeast of the province, just a few kilometers north of Amersfoort. In the east it borders on Nijkerk ( Prov. of Gelderland ). Bunschoten lies in the somewhat swampy, situated slightly below sea polders around the river Eem, flowing from Amersfoort to Eemmeer. The Eemmeer is a border lake of here largely reclaimed from the IJsselmeer ( See: Flevoland ).

Previously lived Bunschoten from livestock (which is still partly the case), and Spakenburg was a fishing village. Fishing and fish processing plants there still, but Spakenburg is now known for its bread factories. This bread is mainly sold in markets throughout the Netherlands. There are still some major factories that manufacture all kinds of metal products. Tourism is also gaining in importance.

History and national character

Bunschoten received in 1383 a limited municipal law, but was destroyed because of a revolt against the sovereign, the bishop of Utrecht, and soon evolved further than the village.

Spakenburg is an old fishing village. Then the fisherman has a dangerous, highly determined by the vagaries of nature occupation will be prayed over in other professions to God for happiness and a lack of disasters. Also Spakenburg is a strongly religious community in which on Sundays leaving the house only to go to church. Quite a few people belong to the more conservative, orthodox Calvinist churches. Another aspect of this conservatism is that the old costumes, especially when attending the church service and during festivals are still worn.

Football

In Spakenburg are located with the SV Spakenburg and VV IJsselmeervogels two leading teams of the highest Dutch amateur class ( top class ). The IJsselmeervogels are seven amateur championships of the most successful club in the Dutch amateur football.

Attractions

• The Costume Museum Vurhuus ( open from Easter to end of October, closed Sundays)
• The Spakenburg harbor, with many old sailing ships that served the fishing earlier
• The Spakenburg hard days in the summer, just as the fishing day in the fall, where the women wear their old costumes, attract many tourists.