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Barendrecht
Town and municipality
A water tower standing in the middle of several small, end 19th-century houses
Water tower of Barendrecht
A flag divided in three horizontal bands. The red center band is wider and contains the top half of a gold lion rampant on the left. The top and bottom white bands contain three equally spaced green rectangles each.
Flag
 The coat of arms mimics the flag. The bands are equal width, the lion rampant is in the middle and number of green rectangles are changed to four and three on top and two and one in the bottom.
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Barendrecht in a municipal map of South Holland
Location in South Holland
Country Netherlands
Province South Holland
Government
 • Body Municipal council
Area
 • Total 21.73 km2 (8.39 sq mi)
 • Land 19.83 km2 (7.66 sq mi)
 • Water 1.90 km2 (0.73 sq mi)
Elevation
−1 m (−3.3 ft)
Population
 (May 2014)
 • Total 47,442
 • Density 2,392/km2 (6,200/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Barendrechter
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
2990–2994
Area code 0180

Barendrecht (Dutch: [ˈbaːrə(n)ˌdrɛxt]) is a town and municipality in the western part of the Netherlands. It is located near Rotterdam in the province of South Holland. In 2014, Barendrecht had a population of about 47,442 people. The total area of the municipality is 21.73 km2 (8.39 sq mi), with 1.90 km2 (0.73 sq mi) of that being water.

The municipality of Barendrecht also includes the areas of Barendrecht-Carnisselande and Smitshoek.

What's in a Name? The History of Barendrecht

The name "Barendrecht" comes from old words. Birni is a Germanic word meaning "mud" or "muddy". Trāiectum is a Latin word meaning "to cross (a river)". So, Barendrecht likely means "a muddy river crossing".

The area where Barendrecht is today was once made up of three smaller areas called fiefdoms. These were like small territories ruled by a lord. The oldest record of East-Barendrecht dates back to 1264. These areas were in Riederwaard, a region that was created by reclaiming land from water starting in the 12th century. However, the dikes often broke in the 13th and 14th centuries, causing floods.

More land was reclaimed later, forming a big part of modern Barendrecht. This included the Binnenland polder (in 1484), Buitenland polder (in 1555), and Zuidpolder (in 1649).

During the French Period (around 1785–1815), the three fiefdoms were joined together to form one municipality called Barendrecht. After this period, it was split into East and West-Barendrecht. But in 1836, it was united again as a single municipality.

Who Lives in Barendrecht?

Historical population
Year Pop. ±%
1930 4,799 —    
1935 5,413 +12.8%
1940 5,909 +9.2%
1945 7,286 +23.3%
1950 7,264 −0.3%
1955 7,707 +6.1%
1960 8,809 +14.3%
1965 10,408 +18.2%
1970 12,832 +23.3%
1975 14,687 +14.5%
Year Pop. ±%
1980 16,633 +13.2%
1985 18,539 +11.5%
1990 19,937 +7.5%
1995 22,025 +10.5%
2000 28,834 +30.9%
2005 39,310 +36.3%
2010 46,453 +18.2%
2015 47,521 +2.3%
2020 48,714 +2.5%
Source: Municipality of Barendrecht, CBS
Historical number of homes
Year Homes ±%
1965 2,763 —    
1970 3,587 +29.8%
1975 4,510 +25.7%
1980 5,402 +19.8%
1985 6,403 +18.5%
Year Homes ±%
1990 7,208 +12.6%
1995 8,473 +17.5%
2000 11,279 +33.1%
2005 15,312 +35.8%
2010 18,286 +19.4%
Source: Municipality of Barendrecht

The number of people living in Barendrecht has grown a lot. In the last 80 years, the population increased from less than 5,000 in 1930 to almost 50,000 in 2010. The number of homes also grew significantly during this time.

In 2021, Barendrecht had 48,771 residents. About 21% of the people were under 14 years old. Another 11% were between 15 and 24 years old. Many people in Barendrecht have roots from other countries. About 26% of the population came from a foreign background.

In 2012, there were 18,615 households in Barendrecht. On average, there were 2.5 people living in each home. About 24% of homes were single-person households. About 45% of homes had children under 18 living there.

Exploring Barendrecht's Geography

Gem-Barendrecht-OpenTopo
Topographic map of Barendrecht

Barendrecht is divided into smaller areas for administrative purposes. These are called districts (wijken) and neighbourhoods (buurten). There are 23 districts in Barendrecht. Most of these are residential areas where people live. Two districts are rural (countryside), and one is made up of all the business parks.

The district with the most people is Meerwede. It is located in Carnisselande and also has the most people living per square kilometer. Some neighbourhoods are very small, while others are larger. Some neighbourhoods do not have any people living in them.

Sports and Recreation in Barendrecht

Barendrecht is home to several sports clubs. There are two football (soccer) clubs: BVV Barendrecht and VV Smitshoek. BVV Barendrecht plays at the fourth level of Dutch football. VV Smitshoek plays at the fifth level. BVV Barendrecht won the KNVB Amateur Cup in 2008–09.

Besides football, you can find many other sports clubs. These include badminton, basketball, handball, hockey, korfball, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and water polo.

Because Barendrecht is close to Rotterdam, it sometimes hosts parts of road events. For example, it is near the end of the 520 km (320 mi) Paris-Rotterdam relay run.

Famous Athletes from Barendrecht

Many athletes from Barendrecht have achieved great success. One of the most famous is Inge de Bruijn. She is a former swimming champion who won four gold medals at the Olympics. She also won two silver and two bronze medals in freestyle and butterfly events. This was at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics.

During her career, Inge de Bruijn won 36 medals in major competitions, with 18 of them being gold. She also held three world records in long course swimming. Several players on the Dutch water polo teams in the 1984 and 2000 Summer Olympics were also from Barendrecht.

How to Get Around: Barendrecht's Transport

Vaanplein01
Vaanplein interchange

Barendrecht has good transport connections, including roads and railways.

Major Roads

Two main motorways (highways) go through Barendrecht:

  • The A15 runs from west to east along the northern part of the town. It is part of the Rotterdam ring road.
  • The A29 runs from north to south. It separates Smitshoek and Carnisselande from the rest of Barendrecht. South of Barendrecht, it goes through the Heinenoordtunnel under the Oude Maas river.

The interchange where the A15 and A29 meet, called Vaanplein, is located within Barendrecht.

Train Travel

Barendrecht station ingang westzijde en fietsstalling
West entrance to the railway station

Several railway lines pass through Barendrecht:

  • The Breda–Rotterdam railway runs along the east side of Barendrecht. The Barendrecht railway station is on this line. It opened in 1872 and moved to its current spot in 2001.
  • The HSL-Zuid is a high-speed rail line connecting Amsterdam and the Belgian border. It passes through Barendrecht, but trains do not stop here.
  • The Betuweroute is a freight railway line. It carries goods from Rotterdam to Germany. This line runs along the north and east sides of Barendrecht. Queen Beatrix opened this route in 2007.

To reduce noise for nearby homes, the nine tracks of all three lines are covered for 1.5 km (0.9 mi) near the railway station. Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) operates trains from Barendrecht station. Trains go towards Dordrecht and Rotterdam several times an hour.

In 2009, a major junction north of the station was the site of a train accident. Two freight trains crashed, and a passenger train also collided with the wreckage. One driver died, and another was seriously hurt.

Local Public Transport

RET 2108 Citadis Barendrecht Carnisselande 4
RET tram line 25 at its southern terminus of Carnisselande

As a suburb of Rotterdam, Barendrecht has good local transport. The RET operates tram line 25, which runs through the western part of Barendrecht. Its southern end is in Carnisselande. This tram goes to Rotterdam Centraal railway station and through the city center.

The RET also runs several bus lines through Barendrecht:

  • Three lines go from the railway station to Zuidplein using different routes.
  • One line goes from the railway station to Kralingse Zoom.
  • A short local route connects Zuidplein to Smitshoek.
  • Another short line starts from the east side of the railway station.

Arriva operates two more bus lines. One goes from the city hall to the Heinenoord bus terminal. The other goes from Barendrecht railway station to Zwijndrecht railway station.

Notable People from Barendrecht

Inge de Bruijn en Jacco Verhaeren 1a
Inge de Bruijn, 2012

Many interesting people have come from Barendrecht:

  • Jack van den Berg (born 1959) – A famous football trainer.
  • Inge de Bruijn (born 1973) – A former competitive swimmer and four-time Olympic champion.
  • Anwar El Ghazi (born 1995) – A professional footballer who plays for the Dutch national team and Premier League club Aston Villa.
  • Chayenne Ewijk (born 1988) – A former professional tennis player.
  • Anton Heiden (born 1960) – A former water polo player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
  • Finn Stokkers (born 1996) – A professional footballer with over 100 club games.
  • Ties Theeuwkens (born 1985) – A professional basketball player who played for the Dutch national basketball team.
  • Liz Weima (born 1968) – A former professional golfer.

Images for kids

  • Dorpstraat141

    Dorpstraat141, Cafe met woonhuis

  • Barendrecht - Singel 29

    Barendrecht - Singel 29

  • Voormalig raadhuis - Barendrecht - Dorpsstraat 137

    Voormalig raadhuis - Barendrecht - Dorpsstraat 137

  • Barendrecht, Netherlands - panoramio - Peter Dorsman (1)

    Barendrecht, - panoramio

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Barendrecht para niños

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