Familypedia
Advertisement
Main Births etc
Muiden
—  Municipality  —
Muiden het slot en de Flevopolder
Aerial view of Muiden and Muiderslot
Flag of Muiden
Flag
Coat of arms of Muiden
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Muiden in a municipal map of North Holland
Location in North Holland
Coordinates: 52°20′N 5°4′E / 52.333, 5.067Coordinates: 52°20′N 5°4′E / 52.333, 5.067
Country Netherlands
Province North Holland
Government[1]
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor Marleen de Pater-van der Meer (CDA)
Area[2]
 • Total 36.49 km2 (14.09 sq mi)
 • Land 14.45 km2 (5.58 sq mi)
 • Water 22.04 km2 (8.51 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 0 m (0 ft)
Population (May 2013)[4]
 • Total 6,365
 • Density 440/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 1398–1399
Area code 0294
Website muiden.nl
2013-Muiden

Dutch Topographic map of Muiden, July 2013

Muiden [ˈmœy̆.də(n)]  (Speaker Icon listen) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It lies at the mouth of the Vecht and is in an area called the Vechtstreek.

Population centres[]

The municipality of Muiden consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Muiden, Muiderberg.

History[]

The first known reference to Muiden is from 953 when Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, granted the settlement and its toll rights to Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht. It was called Amuda, meaning "mouth of the (river) A". "A" was the old name for the Vecht river.

In 1122 Muiden was, together with Utrecht, granted some city rights by Emperor Henry V. After the lands around Muiden were given to Count Floris V, he began building Muider Castle at the mouth of the Vecht river. Muiden once again received city rights in 1296.

In 1673 the sea lock in the Vecht river was relocated from Fort Hinderdam to Muiden and in 1676 it was expanded with a sea wall along the Vecht mouth to prevent flooding.

Fortifications[]

The first defensive works date from the first half of the 15th century. In 1590 the walls are replaced with earthen mounds with bastions after a design by Adriaen Anthonisz. Muiden was the northern end of the Dutch Water Line.

Developments in warfare during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 prompted another round of upgrades and the construction of forts part of the Stelling van Amsterdam, which includes the Muizenfort, the barracks on the Vestingplein, and the casemates in the ravelins. The layout of the fortification wall was revised.

Fort Pampus Island, part of municipality Muiden, was built from 1887 to 1897. Together with the lighthouse island near Durgerdam and the artillery battery at the Diemer seawall, it was meant to protect the entrance of the IJ Bay and the harbour of Amsterdam.

Attractions[]

Muiderslot 010

Muiderslot

Muiden, Muiderslot foto6 2011-10-23 11

Muiderslot

  • Muiderslot (Muider Castle), a well preserved castle from the Middle Ages
  • Muizenfort, (Mice Fort) a 19th-century fortification part of the Stelling van Amsterdam
  • Fort Pampus Island is an artificial island that is part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam (Dutch: Stelling van Amsterdam).

Various regional walking and cycling routes pass Muiden. More recreational and tourist information on *Wikivoyage-logo Muiden travel guide from Wikivoyage

Gunpowder factory[]

In 1702 the hazardous production of gunpowder was removed from the city of Amsterdam. The vroedschap of Muiden granted a permit to Reinier van Cuyk of Amsterdam to build a gunpowder mill just west of Muiden that same year.

The factory flourished during the First World War, was liquidated in 1919, and was restarted in 1922. During the 20th century its production steadily increased and the town grew towards the factory. In 1972 it was renamed "Muiden Chemie". In the 1980s, it was accused of illegal shipments to Iran. In 1990 Muiden Chemie went bankrupt and was taken over by Britse Royal Ordnance, part of British Aerospace. After a fire in 2001 and ongoing concerns over safety, it was decided to close the factory permanently.

Explosions since 1883:[5]

  • January 9, 1883: explosion on the factory premises, resulting in 13 deaths and much damage to the factory and Muiden.
  • 1886: explosion, 2 deaths. Destroyed a part of the factory.
  • 1924/1925: several explosions, 1 death.
  • January 17, 1947: explosion of collected grenades on the factory premises, 17 deaths and much damage in Muiden.
  • 1948: a grenade exploded, 1 death.
  • 1949: explosion in a powder mill, 1 death.
  • June 13, 1963: explosion in the storage depot, no casualties.
  • June 2, 1966: explosion in the TNT factory, many injuries and much damage in Muiden.
  • December 8, 1972: explosion in drying chamber, 2 deaths, much damage in Muiden.
  • May 30, 1983: explosion, 3 deaths.
  • September 9, 1983: explosion, 1 death.
  • August 20, 2001: fire in packing materials storage, no explosions, no casualties.

Local government[]

The municipal council of Muiden consists of 13 seats, which are divided as follows:

  • CDA - 2 seats
  • D66 - 1 seat
  • PvdA - 4 seats
  • VIB- 3 seats
  • VVD - 3 seats

References[]

External links[]


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Muiden. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
Advertisement