Bussum

Bussum
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 52.28°N 5.20°E / 52.28; 5.20
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Holland
Area(2006)
• Total	8.11 km2 (3.1 sq mi)
• Land	8.06 km2 (3.1 sq mi)
• Water	0.05 km2 (0 sq mi)
Population (1 January, 2007)
• Total	31,335
• Density	3,888/km2 (10,069.9/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	www.bussum.nl

Bussum ( pronunciation ) is a commuter town and municipality in the Het Gooi region in the South East of the province of North Holland in the Netherlands.

Bussum has 32.483 inhabitants (as of 1 April 2011, source: CBS) residing on an area of only 8 km².

History

For a long time Bussum was not more than a hamlet situated amongst the heathlands of Het Gooi and was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town Naarden it was governed by Naarden from 1369 onward. In 1470 Bussum was inhabited by about 250 people, which made it the smallest village in Het Gooi.

Bussum became independent from Naarden in 1817, yet it was not until the arrival of a railway line in 1874 that Bussum began to flourish. Two train stations were built in the town, that still exist today: Naarden-Bussum and Bussum Zuid (Dutch for Bussum South), both on the connection between Amsterdam and Hilversum. The stations and the road network fostered the town's status as a satellite town of Amsterdam, allowing for reverse commute also to Hilversum. From 1898 until 1907, Bussum housed the first Dutch socialist colony after the example of Thoreau's Walden, set up by the writer and psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden. In 1951, Bussum hosted the first Dutch national TV broadcast and the national TV studios were located there until 1964.

Local government

The municipal council of Bussum consists of 23 seats, which are divided as follows:

• VVD - 7 seats
• PvdA - 5 seats
• CDA - 4 seats
• GroenLinks - 4 seats
• D66 - 2 seats
• CU - 1 seat

Notable people born in Bussum

• Freddy Wittop (1911–2001) international costume designer
• Karel Thole (1914–2000), painter and illustrator
• Paul Biegel (1925–2006), author
• Willem Duys (1928–2011), radio and television presenter and record producer
• Thierry Veltman (born 1939), artist
• Tineke Lagerberg (born 1941), swimmer
• Ronnie Tober (born 1945), singer and entertainer
• Charles de Lint (born 1951), Canadian author and musician
• Huub Rothengatter (born 1954), racing driver
• Raoul Heertje (born 1963), comedian
• Anneloes Nieuwenhuizen (born 1963), field hockey defender
• Prof. E van der Bovenkampf (born 1964), Professor at the University of Groningen
• Ruud Hesp (born 1965), football goalkeeper
• Ellen Elzerman (born 1971), swimmer
• Thekla Reuten (born 1975), actress

Transportation

The town of Bussum has two railway stations: Naarden-Bussum and Bussum Zuid.

References

• Statistics are taken from the SDU Staatscourant
• History of Bussum in Old postcards