Alphen aan den Rijn

Alphen aan den Rijn
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 52.13°N 4.65°E / 52.13; 4.65
Country	Netherlands
Province	South Holland
Area(2006)
• Total	57.68 km2 (22.3 sq mi)
• Land	55.06 km2 (21.3 sq mi)
• Water	2.61 km2 (1 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2010)
• Total	72,674
• Density	1,290/km2 (3,341.1/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Alphen aan den Rijn (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑlfən aːn dən ˈrɛin] ( listen)) is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, between Leiden and Utrecht. The town is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the river Gouwe branches off. The municipality had a population of 72,674 in 2010, and covers an area of 57.68 km² (22.27 sq mi) of which 2.61 km² (1.01 sq mi) is water. It also contains the remnants of a Roman castellum.

The municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn also includes the communities of Aarlanderveen and Zwammerdam. The town is located in what is called the 'Green Heart' of the Netherlands, which is a somewhat less densely populated centre area of the Randstad.

The name "Alphen" is probably derived from the name of the Roman castellum Albanianae, meaning "settlement at the white water".

History

Map showing Albanianis (in the centre, just above the 'T' of Patabus) in the Tabula Peutingeriana.

The area around Alphen aan den Rijn has been inhabited for 2000 years. In the Roman era, the Oude Rijn was the main branch of the Rhine River and formed the north border of the Roman Empire. Since the rule of Emperor Claudius (41–54 CE), divisions of the Roman army were stationed here. Consequently, several Roman fortifications were located along the Oude Rijn, including castellum Albanianae in the centre of Alphen. The Romans had also built the first bridge over the Oude Rijn. Alphen was therefore an important commercial site in the area until Germanic raids ended that in 240 CE.

After recurring problems with flooding, especially in Utrecht and Leiden, the Oude Rijn was dammed at Wijk bij Duurstede in 1122, thereby making the Lek River the main branch of the Rhine. The Oude Rijn has not flooded since. During the Middle Ages, Alphen was a fiefdom called Alphen en Rietveld.

The vertical lift bridge over the Gouwe River was built in the 1930s.

In the 17th century, Alphen became prominent again as a hub for commerce. The Oude Rijn was used for boat traffic; there are still portions along the river where the towpath is present.

The current municipality was formed in 1918 through the amalgamation of the smaller municipalities of Alphen, Aarlanderveen, and Oudshoorn. In 1964, the municipality of Zwammerdam was added as well.

During the Second World War, the majority of Jews from Alphen were deported and subsequently murdered, only a few survived. After the war, the Jewish congregation was disbanded and merged with the one in Leiden.

Since 1950, the city began to grow rapidly. A large new neighbourhood was built on the north side. And since the 1990s, a similar new development was built at the city's south side. Now Alphen aan den Rijn is mostly a commuter city.

Monumental clocktower in Alphen aan den Rijn

The renewed Julianastreet facing the "Rijnplein" public square.

In recent years, a large part of the town centre has undergone a full urban renewal. Many older buildings built in the 1950s and earlier have been demolished to make place for modern architecture. This "masterplan" included the addition of a new public square next to the riverbank, the construction of a performing arts theatre/cinema, an upgrade of local shops and the creation of pedestrian streets. As of 2006, all of these projects have been finished.

On 9 April 2011, a gunman opened fire at a shopping centre in Alphen aan den Rijn, killing six people and subsequently taking his own life.

Demographics

• Native white people: 80.7%
• Non-native white people and second-generation descendants: 8.9%
• Turkish people: 1.3%
• Moroccan people: 2.7%
• Surinamese people: 1.8%
• People from the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba: 0.9
• Other non-caucasian non-natives: 3.7%

Tourism

Alphen aan den Rijn has the following attractions:

• Avifauna Bird Park – the world's first dedicated bird park, opened in 1950.
• Archeon – a theme park about Dutch History, with 43 replica buildings from prehistoric, Roman, and Medieval eras. It opened in 1994.
• Zegersloot Recreation Park – park with an artificial lake, popular for hiking, cycling, windsurfing, wakeboarding and water skiing.

Events

• 20 van Alphen – International 20 kilometres run. Held every year (since 1952) on the second Sunday of March. The 2006 event was marked by a world record when Haile Gebrselassie posted a time of 1 hour 11 minutes 37 seconds for 25 km. This was his 22nd world record breaking performance.
• Year market – third Wednesday in September. Regional products.
• Lakeside Festival – end of August. Music festival near Zegersloot.
• Old timer day – second Saturday of September. Old cars, tractors, steam engines.
• LAURA – four-day bicycle event Leiden, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Alphen aan den Rijn which is the start and finish place, is held the first week of July.
• Tean International – Challenger level ATP Tour tennis tournament, played at the Alphense Tennis Club, from 30 August to 8 September 2008.
• Midwinter Fair and Midzomer Fair – Fantasy festivals at the Archeon.
• Vakantiespel – One of the largest events for children between 6 and 12 year old in the Netherlands. Held every year in august.

Public transport

The town is served by Alphen aan den Rijn railway station. It is just south east of the town centre. The busstation is located between the town centre and the railway station, but is scheduled to be moved near the railway station at the end of 2012.

Politics

In Total there are 11 parties in the city council that consist out of 35 councilmen. The VVD is currently the largest party in Alphen aan den Rijn with 15,9% of all votes. The second and third parties are PvdA and CDA, respectively. Bas Eenhoorn of the VVD is the current acting Mayor. The council of mayor and alderman (college van burgermeester en Wethouders) run the city on a day to day basis and report to the city council.

Current aldermen in Alphen aan den Rijn are:

• S.J.P. Lyczak (VVD)
• M.H. du Chatinier (ChristenUnie)
• C.J. van Velzen (CDA)
• H.I.P Oppatja (PVDA)
• T. Hoekstra (VVD)

Notable natives

• J.C. Bloem (1887–1966), poet
• Petrus Wernink (1895–1971), sailor
• Matthijs van Heijningen (born 1944), film producer
• Wouter van Pelt (born 1968), hockey player
• Arjan van Heusden (born 1972), footballer
• Evert-Jan 't Hoen (born 1975), baseball player
• Wilbert Pennings (born 1975), high jumper
• Jeannette Pennings (born 1977), athlete
• Martin Verkerk (born 1978), tennis player
• Salah Edin (born 1981), rapper
• John Heitinga (born 1983), footballer

External links

• Official website
• Basic data
• Map
• Tean International Tennis Tournament