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Huizen
Harbour of Huizen
Harbour of Huizen
Flag of Huizen
Flag
Coat of arms of Huizen
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Huizen in a municipal map of North Holland
Location in North Holland
Country Netherlands
Province North Holland
Region Amsterdam metropolitan area
Government
 • Body Municipal council
Area
 • Total 23.32 km2 (9.00 sq mi)
 • Land 15.82 km2 (6.11 sq mi)
 • Water 7.50 km2 (2.90 sq mi)
Elevation
3 m (10 ft)
Population
 (May 2014)
 • Total 41,236
 • Density 2,607/km2 (6,750/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Huizenaar, Huizer
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
1270–1277
Area code 035

Huizen (pronounced [ˈɦœyzə(n)]) is a municipality and a village in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands.

The name "Huizen" is Dutch for "houses" and this usage has been linked to the belief that the first stone houses in the region, instead of the more common sod houses of the time, appeared here. Huizen is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam.

History

Huizen was originally an agricultural village, near the Zuiderzee until 1932. During winter the farmers went fishing, which started the development from an agricultural to a coastal village with a thriving fishing industry, stimulated by building the harbour around 1850. After the damming of the Zuiderzee in 1932, the old sea became a lake, and economic activity shifted towards industry and commerce.

In the 1960s the town was designated to build substantially large residential areas, to overcome the housing shortage in the region. From then on, the village took on an influx of people and grew rapidly.

Where the Phohi-flat now stands in Huizen, before World War II was a large transmitter intended to contact the Dutch East Indies, some 12.000 km away.

A post mill that stood in Huizen was dismantled in 1916. It was re-erected in 1919 at the Netherlands Open Air Museum, Arnhem, Gelderland.

Topography

Huizen is part of the Gooi area, well as the home of the rich and famous.

Huizen-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg
Map of Huizen, March 2014.

Transport

With its population of close to 42,000, Huizen is one of the larger Dutch towns without railway connection. On a national level, it's preceded by Drachten and Oosterhout.

Notable people

Willem Oltmans (1973)
Willem Oltmans, 1973
  • Henk Bos (1901–1979) a Dutch painter
  • Karel Voous (1920–2002) a Dutch ornithologist and author
  • Willem Oltmans (1925–2004) a Dutch investigative journalist and author
  • Dorret Boomsma (born 1957 in Huizen) a Dutch biological psychologist specializing in genetics and twin studies
  • Arnoud Boot (born 1960) a Dutch economist and academic
  • Femke Merel van Kooten (born 1983) a Dutch politician, former member of the Dutch House of Representatives and leader of Splinter

Sport

Gallery

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