Buren Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Buren

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in Gelderland

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

142.92 km² (55.18 sq mi)

• Land

134.26 km² (51.84 sq mi)

• Water

8.66 km² (3.34 sq mi)

Elevation

5 m (16 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

26,136

• Density

195/km² (510/sq mi)

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

Parts of 4000 and 4100 ranges

Area code

0344, 0345

Dutch Topographic map of Buren, June 2015

Buren (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbyːrə(n)]) is a town and municipality in the Betuwe region of the Netherlands. Buren has 27,168 inhabitants as of 1 January 2022.

Geography
- Population centers
History
Historical sites
Demographics
Twin town
Notable people
Gallery
See also

Geography

Buren is located in Gelderland, a province of the Netherlands. It is part of the landscape of Betuwe, a very fertile strip of land between two branches of Rhine-Meuse Delta, the Nederrijn in the north and the Waal in the south.

Population centers

Population centers include:

Aalst
Asch
Beusichem
Buren
Eck en Wiel
Erichem
Ingen
Kerk-Avezaath
Lienden
Ommeren
Ravenswaaij
Rijswijk
Zoelen
Zoelmond

History

The earliest known settlement of the region occurred as early as 772. Castle Buren was built by the Lords of Buren and was first mentioned in 1298. The town was granted city rights in 1395 by Sir Alard IV of Buren which led to the construction of a defensive wall and a moat, significant portions of which still stand. In 1492, the region was promoted to a county (i.e. a territory ruled by a count), but had limited economic influence due to its geographic isolation. By 1574, the previously Catholic parish church of Saint-Lambert (Dutch: Sint Lambertus) had become Calvinist Reformed Protestant.

A winter landscape with activities on the ice near Castle Buren. Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraaten, between 1622 and 1666

The Castle eventually came into the possession of the House of Orange, the royal family of the Netherlands. The Dutch royal family has been known to use the name van Buren as an alias to give themselves some degree of anonymity. William III of England obtained the title Buren. The Dutch royal family still use this as a title. The Castle was gradually demolished between 1804 and 1883. The eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren, traced his ancestry to inhabitants of the town, who had taken the surname Van Buren after relocating to the Dutch colony of New Netherlands in what is now the state of New York. In 1853, following the end of his presidency, Van Buren made a visit to the town while on a tour of Europe and reportedly met with several distant relatives.

The current municipality is the result of 2 mergers. On 1 January 1978, the municipalities of Beusichem, Zoelen and part of Buurmalsen were added to the existing municipality of Buren, that was formed in the mid-19th century. On 1 January 1999, Buren was enlarged with the addition of the municipalities of Lienden and Maurik.

De Prins Van Oranje windmill

Historical sites

Buren has two museums:

The Museum of the Royal Military Police, located in a 17th-century orphanage.
The Museum of the Dutch Royal Family, located in the historic city hall.

It is also home to De Prins Van Oranje, a restored windmill.

Demographics

Dutch: 92.9%
European: 4.7%
African: 0.7%
Arabian: 0.5%
Other: 1.2%

Twin town

Buren is twinned with:

Kinderhook, New York, United States

Notable people

Philip William, Prince of Orange (1554 in Buren – 1618) Prince of Orange in 1584 and Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1599
Gerard de Kruijff (1890 in Buren – 1968) a Dutch horse rider who competed in the 1924 and the 1928 Summer Olympics
Lukas Smits (born 1935 in Ravenswaaij) a Dutch painter.
Jos Beijnen (born 1956 in Beusichem) a Dutch pharmacist and academic
Ron Stevens (born 1959 in Lienden) a Dutch sprint canoer who competed in two Summer Olympics