Rozenburg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rozenburg
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Borough
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| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | South Holland | ||
| Municipality | Rotterdam | ||
| Area
(2006)
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| • Total | 6.50 km2 (2.51 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 4.51 km2 (1.74 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 1.98 km2 (0.76 sq mi) | ||
| Population
(1 January 2007)
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| • Total | 12,672 | ||
| • Density | 2,810/km2 (7,300/sq mi) | ||
| Source: CBS, Statline. | |||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
Rozenburg is a town in the western Netherlands. It is located in the province of South Holland. Rozenburg used to be its own municipality, which is like a local government area.
In 2004, about 13,173 people lived there. The area of Rozenburg was 6.50 square kilometers. This made it one of the smallest municipalities in the Netherlands. In 2010, Rozenburg became a part of the larger city of Rotterdam. It is now a borough, which is a district within a city.
The town of Rozenburg is on what used to be an island. This island was also called Rozenburg. It was formed from three different parts. These parts included a sand bar between two rivers, Het Scheur and Brielse Maas. These rivers are branches of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. The island also included another sand bar called Welplaat. The southern part of the Hook of Holland was also added.
The Hook of Holland part was separated from the mainland when the Nieuwe Waterweg was built in 1870. This was a new ship canal. Later, the rest of the Het Scheur river was blocked off with a dam. This connected the Hook of Holland part to Rozenburg. Today, the island is connected to Voorne-Putten by a sea barrier and a dam.
History of Rozenburg Island
Rozenburg Island was created many centuries ago. It formed from several sand bars at the mouth of the Maas river. In 1568, people started building dikes there. Dikes are walls built to stop water.
In 1586, the land called Roosenburgh was rented out. Dirk Ariensz. Bisdommer and his son were the first people to live there permanently.
Rozenburg's Growth and Industry
In 1950, the Nieuwe Maas river was blocked off at both ends of Rozenburg Island. This created the Brielse Meer, which is a lake. It also connected Rozenburg to Voorne-Putten Island.
Around the same time, much of the island was used for industry. This became part of the Port of Rotterdam. The Port of Rotterdam is one of the biggest seaports in the world. When these ports were being planned in the 1950s, the cities of Rotterdam and Rozenburg made an agreement. Rotterdam would lead the building of the ports and factories. Rozenburg would build homes for the many new people expected to move there.
The village of Blankenburg, also on the island, had to be completely removed. This made space for new canals and factories. The new homes were built around the old village center of Rozenburg. In a short time, the number of people living there grew from 3,500 to over 14,000.
The part of the island near the Hook of Holland was made even bigger. A large polder called Maasvlakte was added. A polder is a piece of low-lying land reclaimed from the sea. This new area has large sea harbors and factories that make petrochemical products.
There is also an oil refinery in Rozenburg. An oil refinery processes crude oil. The Rozenburg refinery is now owned by Kuwait Petroleum Europort BV. This company is part of Kuwait Petroleum International.
Images for kids
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Rozenburg Island in 1769
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The same region today, Brielse Meer in dark blue.
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Rozenburg Island in 1867, just before the construction of the Nieuwe Waterweg, its planned route visible in the top left corner
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Satellite image of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta showing the island of Rozenburg (10)
