Spijkenisse Facts for Kids

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Spijkenisse

Town centre of Spijkenisse

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in South Holland

Area

• Total

30.27 km² (11.69 sq mi)

• Land

26.12 km² (10.08 sq mi)

• Water

4.15 km² (1.60 sq mi)

Elevation

−1 m (−3.3 ft)

Population

• Total

72,500

Demonym(s)

Spijkenissenaar

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

3200–3209

Area code

0181

Spijkenisse (Dutch pronunciation: [spɛikəˈnɪsə]) is a large town in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. Following an administrative reform in 2015, it is part of the municipality of Nissewaard, and has a population of 72,500. It covers an area of 30.27 km² (11.69 sq mi) of which 4.15 km² (1.60 sq mi) is water. It is part of the Greater Rotterdam area.

History
Transport
Districts
Schools
- Primary schools
- Secondary school
Notable residents
International relations
Gallery
See also

History

Topographic map of Spijkenisse, as 2014

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Spijkenisse has been inhabited for several thousand years. The area's prehistoric inhabitants depended on fishing in the Maas and hunting in the surrounding swamps for sustenance.

The oldest known reference to the name Spickenisse is in a source from 1231. Spijkenisse is a portmanteau of the words spieke (spit) and nesse (nose) meaning "pointy nose." The name is a reference to the settlement's location on a spit of land protruding into the river.

Spijkenisse formed as a farming and fishing village on a creek along the Oude Maas. It originally belonged to the Lord of Putten (whose coat of arms is now used by the town) but in 1459 the fiefdom of Putten, including Spijkenisse, was transferred to Philip III, Duke of Burgundy. In 1581, after the Dutch declaration of independence, the area came under the control of the States of Holland and West Friesland.

In the 16th century, the village suffered several floods, and endured destructive fires in the following two centuries which hampered its economic growth. In the 20th century Spijkenisse heavily urbanised as part of the Greater Rotterdam area. Contemporary Spijkenisse includes the communities of Hekelingen, Den Hoek, and Beerenplaat.

Transport

Spijkenisse has a connection to the city of Rotterdam by Rotterdam Metro lines C and D, through Spijkenisse Centrum, Heemraadlaan and De Akkers stations. The metro is operated by RET.

On 2 November 2020, at about 00:30, a train ran through buffers at the end of the line and was saved from plunging 10 metres by the "Whale tails" sculpture.

There are also several bus services operated by EBS and 1 line of Connexxion to Ouddorp.

In 2011, the town built seven bridges designed by Robin Stam, replicating Robert Kalina's fictional designs on the euro banknotes.

Spijkenisse Centrum
Accident on November 2, 2020
Bus service
Eurobridge 20 euro

Districts

De Akkers
Centrum
De Elementen
De Hoek
Gildenwijk
Groenewoud
Hoogwerf
Maaswijk
Schenkel
Schiekamp
Sterrenkwartier
Vierambachten
Vogelenzang
Vriesland
Waterland

Schools

Primary schools

Roman Catholic	Protestant	Public	Calvinist
De Akkers	Het Anker	Annie MG Schmidt	De Morgenster
De Klinker	Het Baken	De Vuurvogel
De Maasoever	De Bron
Monseigneur Bekkersschool	De Duif	De Vogelenzang
De Wegwijzer	De Hoeksteen	De Krullevaar
Paus Johannes	De Marimba	De Meander(tot 2012)
	De Rank	De Montessori
	De Schakel	Jan Campert
		De Piramide
		De Toermalijn
		De Veenvlinder

Secondary school

Roman Catholic	Christian	Public
MAVO Charles de Foucauld	PENTA college CSG Scala Molenwatering	OSG My College
	PENTA College CSG Scala Rietvelden	OSG De Ring van Putten
	PENTA college CSG De Oude Maas

Notable residents

Emiel Mellaard, 1987

Jan Campert (1902 in Spijkenisse – 1943) a journalist, theater critic and writer
Marleen de Pater-van der Meer (1950 in Hekelingen – 2015) a Dutch politician
Jan Bechtum (born 1958 in Spijkenisse) a Dutch guitarist and composer
Erik de Jong (born 1961 in Spijkenisse) known as Spinvis, a Dutch one-man music project
Rolf Habben Jansen (born in 1966 in Spijkenisse), current CEO of Hapag-Lloyd AG
Medy van der Laan (born 1968 in Spijkenisse) a retired Dutch politician
Björn Franken (born 1983 in Spijkenisse) known as Vato Gonzalez, DJ and producer
Nick van de Wall (born 1987 in Spijkenisse) known as Afrojack, DJ and producer
Duncan Laurence (born 1994 in Spijkenisse) singer, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019
Fabiënne Nicole Groeneveld (born 1999 in Spijkenisse) businesswoman, model, winner of Miss Universe Indonesia 2023

Sport

Bram Groeneweg (1905 in Spijkenisse – 1988) a Dutch long-distance runner, competed in the marathon at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Emiel Mellaard (born 1966 in Spijkenisse) is a retired Dutch long jump record holder
Joeri de Groot (born 1977 in Spijkenisse) a Dutch rower, competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Patrick van Luijk (born 1984 in Spijkenisse) a Dutch sprinter
Martijn Barto (born 1984 in Spijkenisse) a Dutch professional footballer with over 200 club caps
Djenairo Daniels