Reeuwijk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Reeuwijk
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Former municipality
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| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | South Holland | ||
| Municipality | Bodegraven-Reeuwijk | ||
| Area
(2006)
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| • Total | 50.11 km2 (19.35 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 38.22 km2 (14.76 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 11.89 km2 (4.59 sq mi) | ||
| Population
(1 January 2007)
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| • Total | 12,645 | ||
| • Density | 331/km2 (860/sq mi) | ||
| Source: CBS, Statline. | |||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
| Website | www.reeuwijk.nl | ||
Reeuwijk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈreːuʋɛik]) is a town in the western part of the Netherlands. It is located in the province of South Holland. Reeuwijk used to be its own municipality, which is like a local government area.
On January 1, 2011, Reeuwijk joined with another town called Bodegraven. Together, they formed a new, larger municipality named Bodegraven-Reeuwijk.
Reeuwijk covers an area of about 50 square kilometers. A big part of this area, almost 12 square kilometers, is water. This water forms beautiful ponds that are famous in the region.
The former municipality of Reeuwijk included several smaller communities. These include:
- Driebruggen
- Hogebrug
- Langeweide
- Middelburg
- Oud-Reeuwijk
- Oukoop
- Platteweg
- Randenburg
- Reeuwijk-Brug
- Reeuwijk-Dorp
- Sluipwijk
- Tempel
- Waarder
- Westeinde
History of Reeuwijk
Reeuwijk has a long history, going back many centuries. It was first settled because of its rich supply of peat. Peat is a type of soil made from decayed plants. It can be dug up and dried to use as fuel.
Early Beginnings
The earliest mention of Reeuwijk dates back to the year 1248. This shows that people have lived and worked in this area for a very long time.
Peat Harvesting and Ponds
In the 18th century, the area around Reeuwijk became very busy. Workers dug up many layers of peat. This peat was then dried and sent to nearby cities like Gouda. There, it was used as fuel for different industries.
As people dug deeper for peat, they eventually hit fresh-water springs. This caused the large holes left by peat digging to fill with water. Over time, these water-filled areas became the beautiful Reeuwijk Ponds (Reeuwijkse Plassen) that you can see today. These ponds are now a popular spot for recreation.
Growing as a Municipality
Over the years, Reeuwijk grew by adding nearby villages.
- In 1855, Middelburg joined Reeuwijk.
- In 1857, Oukoop became part of Reeuwijk.
- In 1870, Sluipwijk and Stein were added.
Later, on January 1, 1989, another change happened. The municipality of Driebruggen, which was formed in 1964, was dissolved. Its communities, Waarder and Driebruggen, then became part of Reeuwijk. This made Reeuwijk even larger before its merger with Bodegraven in 2011.
