Soest, Netherlands Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Soest

Church in Soest

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in Utrecht

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

46.43 km² (17.93 sq mi)

• Land

46.25 km² (17.86 sq mi)

• Water

0.18 km² (0.07 sq mi)

Elevation

13 m (43 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

45,435

• Density

982/km² (2,540/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Soestenaar, Soester

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

3760–3769

Area code

035

Soest (pronounced like "soost") is a cool town and municipality in the central Netherlands. It's located in the Utrecht province. Soest is about 6 kilometers (about 4 miles) west of a bigger city called Amersfoort. Around 50,000 people live here, many of whom travel to work in nearby cities.

Exploring Soest
Getting Around Soest
- Train Stations
- Bus Routes
Famous People from Soest
- Sports Stars
Sports in Soest
Sister City
Images for kids
See also

Exploring Soest

Soest is a town with a long history. The first time anyone wrote about Soest was in the year 1029. Back then, they spelled it Zoys.

Old Buildings and History

The oldest church in Soest is called the Oude Kerk, which means Old Church. It was built in the 1400s and people still use it today! But even before that, people lived here. In an area called "Hees," which is now on the edge of Soest, there are signs of people living there way back in the Middle Ages. You can even find prehistoric burial mounds in the Soesterduinen area. These mounds show that people lived here a very, very long time ago.

Topographic map of Soest

Farmland and Nature

Even today, you can see lots of farmland in Soest. The biggest farming area is on a hill in the middle of town, called 'de Engh'. There's a small street there called het Kerkpad, which means the Church Path.

One of the most popular places in Soest is the Soesterduinen. These are huge sand dunes! They are a great spot for outdoor fun and relaxation. There's also a smaller town nearby called Soest Duinen, which means Soest Dunes. It has even more sand dunes, including the famous Lange Duinen (Long Dunes).

Churches in Soest

Soest has many churches. They show the history of different Christian traditions in the area. Some of the main churches include Christengemeente Soest, Wilhelmina Kerk Soest, Gereformeerde Kerk Vrijgemaakt, Emmakerk, and Evangelische Kerk Soest.

Getting Around Soest

Soest has good ways to travel, especially by train and bus.

Train Stations

Soest has three train stations:

Soestdijk
Soest
Soest Zuid

The biggest and busiest of these is Soest Zuid. You can catch a train from Soest to Utrecht every half-hour. You can also go to Baarn by train. All trains stop at the three stations in Soest.

There used to be another station called Soestduinen. It was open for 135 years but closed in 1998. Now, it's a restaurant!

You can travel directly from Soest to these stations:

Baarn
Den Dolder
Bilthoven
Utrecht Overvecht
Utrecht Centraal

Bus Routes

Soest also has many bus stops and several bus lines. Most buses leave from the bus station at Soest Zuid every half-hour. For example, Line 70 travels to both Amersfoort and Hilversum. Line 74 stays within the town of Soest. You can find more information about all public transport connections at 9292ov.nl.

Famous People from Soest

Many interesting people have connections to Soest!

Dirk Jan de Geer, a former Prime Minister

Janine Jansen, a famous violinist

Gerard Soest (around 1600 – 1681) was a painter known for his portraits. He worked in England.
Prince Alexander of the Netherlands (1818–1848) was the second son of King William II.
Dirk Jan de Geer (1870–1960) was a politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands twice.
Frida Vogels (born 1930) is a writer.
Ed van den Heuvel (born 1940) is a well-known astronomer.
Marlous Fluitsma (born 1946) is an actress.
Peter Kooy (born 1954) is a bass singer who specializes in baroque music.
Jack Wouterse (born 1957) is an actor.
Thomas von der Dunk (born 1961) is a historian, writer, and columnist.
Janine Jansen (born 1978) is a world-famous violinist and violist.
Mirik Milan (born 1981) was the first "Night Mayor" of Amsterdam.

Sports Stars

Soest has also produced several talented athletes:

Robert Roest (born 1969) is a former footballer.
Jolanda Elshof (born 1975) is a retired female volleyball player.
Bianca van den Hoek (born 1976) is a professional racing cyclist.
Richard van Zijtveld (born 1979) is a former darts player.
Daniël Stellwagen (born 1987) is a chess grandmaster.
Daan Huizing (born 1990) is a professional golfer.

Sports in Soest

If you love football, Soest has four football clubs: SEC, VV Hees, SO Soest, and VVZ '49. The nearby town of Soesterberg also has its own football club, VV 't Vliegdorp.

Sister City

Soest has a special connection with another town! It is twinned with:

Soest, Germany, since 2004. This means they are like "sister cities" and often share cultural exchanges.

Images for kids

Museum Old Soest
Soest Wilhelminalinde
Soest, Netherlands: autumn landscape
Soest: Waterpomp op de kruising van de Kerkstraat en de Eemstraat
Hie zien we een gedeelte van Hees vanaf het kruispunt van de buurtschappen Wieksloot en Hees