Doesburg Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Doesburg

Square in Doesburg

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in Gelderland

Doesburg

Location in Netherlands

Doesburg

Location in Europe

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

12.96 km² (5.00 sq mi)

• Land

11.57 km² (4.47 sq mi)

• Water

1.39 km² (0.54 sq mi)

Elevation

13 m (43 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

11,447

• Density

989/km² (2,560/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Doesburger

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

6980–6984

Area code

0313

Dutch Topographic map of Doesburg, June 2015

Doesburg (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈduzbʏr(ə)x]) is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Gelderland. Doesburg received city rights in 1237 and had a population of 11,447 in 2014. The city is situated on the right bank of the River IJssel at its confluence with the River Oude IJssel. It is part of the Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region (Dutch: Groene Metropoolregio Arnhem-Nijmegen), which aids planning and development in the region's eighteen municipalities.

History
Tourism
Industry
Well-known Doesburgers
Gallery
See also

History

Doesburg received city rights in 1237, one year later than the neighbouring town of Doetinchem. Because of its strategic position along the Oude IJssel and Gelderse IJssel, Doesburg has been an important fortified city for a long time. The fortification of the city made Doesburg an important economic and administrative city. The Martinikerk, the main church in Doesburg, is 94 meters tall. For many reasons, many of which have to do with the IJssel decreasing in depth, the prosperity of Doesburg stagnated after the 15th century. Doesburg became a sleepy provincial town and so it would remain until after the second world war. The city was protected in 1974, designated as a historic town.

As Doesburg was officially a fortified city up to 1923, it could not be expanded. After the second world war the city grew rapidly. In the 1950s, a suburb called Molenveld (English: mill field) was built on the Eastern side of the city. In the 1970s and 1980s a suburb called Beinum was built to the south of the Oude IJssel, and Campstede was subsequently built to the south of Beinum. At the beginning of the 21st century the construction of a new area at the IJsselkade was started with 44 houses and 124 apartments designed by the Italian architect Adolfo Natalini. In 2007, construction of a hotel called "Noabers" was started. After a few months it was insolvent, but was taken over and reopened a year later.

Tourism

In the north of Doesburg there are several camp-sites where in the high season 4000 visitors stay each year. The historical city centre has museums and monuments that draw thousands of tourists every year. Major attractions include the Gildehof, the Doesburgse mustard factory and 'De Waag', possibly the oldest public house in the Netherlands.

Industry

Doesburg has a number of business parks. These include the Verhuellweg on the north side of the city, and Beinum-Oost and Beinum-West to the east of the city. Along the Gelderse Ijssel are an iron foundry and a concrete call centre, as well as a builder of motor yachts.

Well-known Doesburgers

Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen

Robert Jacob Gordon, 1780

Peter of Dusburg (circa 1260–1326) a Priest-Brother and chronicler of the Teutonic Knights
Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen (1735 in Doesburg – 1819) Count of Doggersbank, was a Dutch naval officer and sea hero
Robert Jacob Gordon (1743 in Doesburg – 1795) explorer, soldier, artist, naturalist and linguist of Scottish descent
Carel Hendrik Ver Huell (also Verhuell) (born 1764 in Doetinchem – 1845) a Dutch, and later French, admiral and statesman
Johan Conrad van Hasselt (1797 in Doesburg – 1823) physician, zoologist, botanist and mycologist
Willem Anne Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (1800 in Doesburg – 1872) politician
Frederik Alexander Adolf Gregory (1814 in Doesburg – 1891) a Dutch Vice admiral
Charles August Masse (born 1838 in Doesburg) a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Theo Colenbrander (1841 in Doesburg – 1930) architect, ceramist, plaque painter and designer
Kees Luesink (1953–2014 in Doesburg) a Dutch politician, Mayor of Doesburg from 2008
Elbert Roest (born 1954) a Dutch historian, politician and former teacher, Doesburg municipal councillor 1992 to 2002
Clemens Cornielje (born 1958 in Lobith) politician and former political consultant and educator
Agnes Kant (born 1967) a retired Dutch politician, lives in Doesburg