Rijswijk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rijswijk Ryswick
Town and municipality
Gemeente Rijswijk
Jaagpad street in Rijswijk
Flag Coat of arms
Location in South Holland
Country	Netherlands
Province	South Holland
Government
• Body	Municipal council
Area
• Total	14.49 km2 (5.59 sq mi)
• Land	14.05 km2 (5.42 sq mi)
• Water	0.44 km2 (0.17 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population  (May 2014)
• Total	59.642
• Density	3,393/km2 (8,790/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Rijswijker
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode	2280–2289
Area code	070

Rijswijk is a town and a municipality in the western Netherlands. It is located in the province of South Holland. In 2024, about 59,642 people lived there. The total area of Rijswijk is about 14.49 square kilometers. A small part of this area is water.

The municipality also includes two former small villages. These are called 't Haantje and Sion. Today, they are also known as RijswijkBuiten.

People and Population

Rijswijk is a diverse place. About 62% of the people living there have a Dutch background. The other 38% come from different backgrounds.

History of Rijswijk

Rijswijk in 1867.

A map of Rijswijk from June 2015.

Scientists have found old tools and signs that people lived in this area a very long time ago. They think people were here about 5500 years ago. The village of Rijswijk started to form in the 1200s. Rich families and nobles built large houses and estates here.

The Treaty of Ryswick

A very important event happened in Rijswijk in 1697. This was the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick. This treaty officially ended the Nine Years' War. This war involved many European countries. The treaty was signed at a place called the Huis ter Nieuwburg. Later, a monument called the Needle of Rijswijk was built in 1792. It stands in the Rijswijk Forest to remember this peace treaty.

The Old Church (de Oude Kerk) in Rijswijk.

Growth of the Town

Until the year 1900, Rijswijk was a small community. But in the 20th century, it grew very quickly. More and more buildings were built. Today, almost all of Rijswijk's land has buildings on it. A new neighborhood called Ypenburg was built on old airfield land. However, this part of Rijswijk became part of The Hague in 2002. Rijswijk is now part of a larger city area called Haaglanden. It has grown so much that it has almost joined with The Hague. Even so, it is still its own separate municipality.

Past Education

Until 2009, Rijswijk had a special college. It was called TH Rijswijk, which stood for Technical University of Applied Sciences. This college later joined with another school. It then moved to the campus of TUDelft in Delft. The old building in Rijswijk is still there.

Getting Around Rijswijk

Rijswijk has good public transport options.

• Rijswijk railway station is a train station.
• There was also a train stop called Stopplaats Rijswijk-Wateringen.

What Rijswijk is Known For

Rijswijk is home to several important organizations:

• The Biomedical Primate Research Centre (BPRC) is here. It is a research center.
• The Netherlands Patent Office is located in Rijswijk. A part of the European Patent Office is also at the same location. These offices handle new inventions.
• A small part of the Dutch national Forensic Laboratory is in Rijswijk. This lab helps police by studying clues from crime scenes.
• The main office of TUI Netherlands is also in Rijswijk. TUI is a big travel company.

Fun Things to Do

Rijswijk has many places for fun and relaxation:

• Parks: There are several parks like Hoekpolder, Wilhelminapark, and Elsenburgerbos. These are great for walking and enjoying nature.
• Swimming: You can swim at a natural outdoor spot called De Put. There is also an indoor swimming pool at sports park 'De Schilp'.
• Theatre: The Rijswijkse Schouwburg is a theatre. Many national shows are performed there.
• Petting Zoo: The Von Fisenne Park has a petting zoo. You can see and interact with friendly animals there.
• Museum: The Museum Rijswijk shows many works of art. It is located at Herenstraat 67.

Rijswijk also has a large shopping center called 'In de Bogaard'. You can find smaller shops in the old town center on Herenstraat. There is an old windmill called Schaapweimolen. The building called De Broodfabriek hosts many different fairs and events.

Famous People from Rijswijk

Many interesting people have connections to Rijswijk.

Public Service Leaders

• Dionysius Koolen (1871–1945) was a Dutch politician.
• Henk Beernink (1910–1979) was also a Dutch politician.
• Chris van Veen (1922–2009) was a politician. He also worked for the Rijswijk municipality.
• Gerard Veringa (1924–1999) was a Dutch politician and expert in crime.
• Peter Oskam (born 1960) is a Dutch politician. He was also a football referee and a judge.
• Sigrid Kaag (born 1961) is a Dutch politician and diplomat. She has been a government minister.

Artists and Scholars

• Adriaen van der Cabel (1630–1705) was a famous Dutch landscape painter.
• Hendrik Tollens (1780–1856) was a well-known poet.
• P. J. Cosijn (1840–1899) was a Dutch expert in old English literature.
• Teddy Scholten (1926–2010) was a Dutch singer. She won the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest.
• Felix Thijssen (1933–2022) wrote crime and science fiction novels. He also wrote books for children.
• Johan van Benthem (born 1949) is a famous expert in logic.
• Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer (born 1968) is a poet, novelist, and classical scholar.

Sports Stars

• Louis Otten (1883–1946) was a football player. He won a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics.
• Piet van der Touw (born 1940) is a retired cyclist. He competed in the Olympics in 1960 and 1964.
• Richard Knopper (born 1977) is a former Dutch footballer.
• Anish Giri (born 1994) is a chess Grandmaster. He lives in Rijswijk.
• Keye van der Vuurst de Vries (born 2001) is a Dutch basketball player. He played for the national team when he was just 16.
• Jeffrey de Zwaan (born 1996) is a Dutch darts player. He was born in Rijswijk.
• Mark Caljouw (born 1995) is a Dutch badminton player. He was also born in Rijswijk.

Images for kids

• 

  Dionysius Koolen, 1925

• 

  Sigrid Kaag, 2018

• 

  Piet van der Touw, 1963

See also

In Spanish: Rijswijk para niños