Brielle

This article is about the city and municipality in the Netherlands. For the borough in New Jersey, see Brielle, New Jersey. For the song by Sky Sailing, see Brielle (song).

Brill Brielle
Municipality
Historic city centre
Flag Coat of arms
Location in South Holland
Country	Netherlands
Province	South Holland
Government
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Gregor Rensen (PvdA)
Area
• Total	31.14 km2 (12.02 sq mi)
• Land	27.55 km2 (10.64 sq mi)
• Water	3.59 km2 (1.39 sq mi)
Elevation	2 m (7 ft)
Population  (January 2021)
• Total	17,439
• Density	633/km2 (1,640/sq mi)
Demonym	Briellenaar
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode	3230–3232
Area code	0181
Website	www.brielle.nl

Brielle (), also called Den Briel (Brill in English) is a town, municipality and historic seaport in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New Maas. The municipality covers an area of 31.14 km² (12.02 sq mi) of which 3.59 km² (1.39 sq mi) is water. In 2021 its population was 17,439.

The municipality of Brielle also includes the communities Vierpolders and Zwartewaal.

History

Brielle is a very old, fortified town. Its name is derived from the Celtic word brogilo (meaning "closed area" or "hunting grounds"). The oldest writings about Brielle indicate that the current location is the "new" Brielle. Den ouden Briel (Old Brill) must have been situated somewhere else on the Voorne-Putten Island. It received city rights in 1306. The city was for a long time the seat of the Count of Voorne, until this fiefdom was added to Holland in 1371. It had its own harbour and traded with the countries around the Baltic Sea. Brielle even had its own trading colony in Sweden.

During the Eighty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain, the Capture of Brielle on April 1, 1572, by Protestant rebels, the Watergeuzen, marked a turning point in the conflict, as many towns in Holland then began to support William of Orange against the Spanish Duke Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba who was sent to pacify The Netherlands. This event is still celebrated each year on April 1 and the night before (known as Chalk Night (kalknacht) when the city is defaced with chalk - and now also white paint). Dutch students are taught a short rhyme to remember this fact, which rhyme refers to April Fools' Day:

"Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril" translating into "On April 1st, Alva lost his glasses",

("bril" is the Dutch word for "glasses". The same rhyme continues with the line "Op April zes verloor Alva zijn fles" "On April 6th Alva lost his bottle" in which the word "Fles" stands for the town of Vlissingen, which was the next town to be caught by the Dutch rebels.)

After the capture of Brielle the Protestant rebels tortured and murdered the Catholic Martyrs of Gorkum and Brielle has become a pilgrimage location since then.

In August 1585, Brielle was one of the four Dutch towns that became an English possession by the Treaty of Nonsuch when Queen Elizabeth I received it as security of payment for 5000 soldiers used by the Dutch in their struggle against the Spanish. English garrisons were stationed here and at Flushing. In 1617, these cities returned to the Netherlands.

Twin cities

Brielle is twinned with:

• Queenborough, England, since 1967
• Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic, since 1985

Gallery

• 
  Brielle, church: de Sint Catharijnekerk
• 
  Brielle, view to a street: het Wellerondom
• 
  Brielle, former orphanage
• 
  Brielle, monumental houses Vischstraat

External links

• Official website (some pages in English)
• http://www.catharijnekerk.nl Website of St Catharijnekerk