Uithoorn ( ) is a
municipality and a town in the Netherlands
, in the province of North
Holland.
Population centres
The
municipality of Uithoorn consists of the following cities, towns,
villages and/or districts: De Kwakel
and Uithoorn.
History
The name
De Uithoorn (or also
De Uythoorn) was
used at the end of the Middle Ages for the location of the lower
courts of the deanery of Saint John. The village formed around its
courthouse.
People depended on agriculture and animal husbandry. Agriculture
became increasingly more difficult due to the steady soil
subsidence. From circa 1600 on,
peat extraction became important and resulted in the
formation of large ponds, which in turn would be made into polders
later on.
During the
Franco-Dutch War in the
"disaster year" of 1672, Uithoorn was on
the front lines and fortifications were built.
During the
Batavian Republic
period, the neighbouring village of Thamen was merged with
Uithoorn. Its economy was limited but improved in the middle of the
19th century when some industries (including chemical) were
established in the area. The reclamation of a few large ponds
provided extra agricultural land at the end of the same
century.
Circa
1885, several fortifications were built around Uithoorn as part of
the Stelling van
Amsterdam
. In 1915 the railway was built through
town.
After World War II, Uithoorn developed quickly: in 1948 the
Thamerdal neighbourhood was built, followed by Zijdelwaard in 1960,
Legmeer in 1972, Meerwijk-West and Meerwijk-Oost from 1985 on. In
1991 a new shopping centre was built in the town centre, at the
expense of many original buildings.
Local government
The municipal council of Uithoorn consists of 21 seats, which are
divided as follows:
Amstel-Drecht Canal
(Amstel-Drechtkanaal)
References
External links
Wikis
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