Berkel en Rodenrijs

Berkel en Rodenrijs
Berkel en Rodenrijs
; Flag	; Coat of arms
Country	Netherlands
Province	South Holland
Municipality	Lansingerland
Hoofdplaats	Berkel en Rodenrijs
	Area
• Land	18.62 km2 (7.2 sq mi)
• Water	0.29 km2 (0.1 sq mi)
Population (1 July 2006)	20.189
Transport
Major roads	N209, N470, N471, RandstadRail

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Town sign

Berkel en Rodenrijs is a town and former municipality in the Western part of the Netherlands, and is located in the Dutch province of South Holland.

[edit] History

Berkel en Rodenrijs was founded in 963. Its character changed across the centuries. Prior to its development, the land consisted of peat soil, which was cultivated for the production of turf. This cultivation resulted in the appearance of moors. During the 18th century the moors were drained and agricultural use of polder land commenced. The years that followed resulted in significant changes to the town due to residential and commercial building developments. (source: Gemeente Lansingerland)

In 1850 the town had a population count of 1,250, which by 1950 had extended to 5,700.

On 1 January 2007, the town was merged with neighbouring towns Bergschenhoek and Bleiswijk to form the new municipality of Lansingerland. On January 2008, the former municipality had a population of 22,626 (source: official municipality guide), and covered an area of 18.91 km² (7.30 mile²) of which 0.29 km² (0.11 mile²) is water.

[edit] Public transport

RandstadRail Line E
Qbuzz Bus Services. Line 170, 171, 173, 174, 270 and 273.

[edit] People born in Berkel en Rodenrijs

Phil Bloom (born November 27, 1945), Artist
Eimert van Middelkoop (born 14 February 1949), politician (ChristianUnion, minister of Defense 2009)
Peter Olsthoorn (1960), Freelance ICT- and multimedia-journalist
Piet Rietveld (born 1952) a professor in transport economics at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
Victor Scheffers (born 22 May 1960), Olympic rower for the Netherlands, 1980 Summer Games.
Tim Vincken (born 12 September 1986), pro football player Feyenoord Rotterdam

[edit] Other famous people who lived in Berkel en Rodenrijs

Rob Madna (born 8 June 1931 in Den Haag, died 5 April 2003 in Berkel en Rodenrijs) Pianist, trumpeter and composer.^[1]
Annie M.G. Schmidt (*May 20, 1911 – May 21, 1995) Dutch poet and well known children's book author lived in Berkel en Rodenrijs for some time during the mid 1960s.

[edit] Gallery

Areal view of the town.
Catholic church, Noordeindseweg 102, "Onze Lieve Vrouwe (OLV) Geboortekerk".
Railway Station Rodenrijs (2005), part of Rotterdam Hofplein - Den Haag HS line, closed in 2006.
Metro Station Rodenrijs.
Windmill 'de Valk' (1772) located in township Rodenrijs, now used as a residential property.