Schiedam | |
|---|---|
City and municipality | |
 Old city hall of Schiedam | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Brandersstad | |
.svg) Location in South Holland | |
| Coordinates: 51°55′N 4°24′E / 51.917°N 4.400°E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | South Holland |
| Settled | c. 1230 |
| City rights | 1275 |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Cor Lamers (CDA) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19.86 km2 (7.67 sq mi) |
| • Land | 17.82 km2 (6.88 sq mi) |
| • Water | 2.04 km2 (0.79 sq mi) |
| Elevation | −1 m (−3 ft) |
| Population (January 2021)[4] | |
| • Total | 79,279 |
| • Density | 4,449/km2 (11,520/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Schiedammer |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 3100–3125 |
| Area code | 010 |
| Website | www |
Schiedam (Dutch pronunciation: [sxiˈdɑm] ⓘ) is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen, and south of Delft. In the south the city is connected with the village of Pernis by the Beneluxtunnel.
The city is known for its historical center with canals, and for having the tallest windmills in the world.
Schiedam is also well known for the distilleries and malthouses and production of jenever, such as the internationally renowned Ketel One: so much so that in French and English the word schiedam (usually without a capital s-) refers to the town's genever. This was the town's main industry during the early Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th century, a period to which it owed its former nickname "Zwart Nazareth" or "Black Nazareth".
The city is also known for Saint Lidwina, one of the most famous Dutch saints (her relics are located in the Liduina Basilica in Schiedam).
Schiedam was founded around the year 1230. The river Schie was dammed by the Lord of Wassenaer and the Amtlord Dirk Bokel of the Amt Mathenesse, this to protect the existing polderland against the seawater from the North Sea.[citation needed] In 1247, Lady Adelaide (Aleida) of Holland married John I, Count of Hainaut.[citation needed] As dowry she received from him[clarification needed] the eastern part of the dam together with the adjacent polder. The dam attracted many trade activities because goods for and from the hinterland (Delft, and further away Leiden and Haarlem) had to be transhipped. A small town developed swiftly around the dam and its activities. In the year 1275 Schiedam received city rights from Lady Adelaide, this in her capacity as sister of William II, the reigning Count of Holland and King of the Romans. She ordered the building of Te Riviere Castle near the Schie, which is known today as "Castle Mathenesse" (Dutch: "Huis te Riviere" or "Slot Mathenesse"). Remnants of a donjon, which were once part of the castle, are still visible today in the centre of Schiedam and near the city office.[citation needed]
As a young settlement Schiedam soon got competition from surrounding towns and cities: in 1340, Rotterdam and Delft also were allowed to establish a connection between the Schie and the Meuse. From the 15th century onwards the city flourished as a place of pilgrimage due to the devotion afforded to Saint Lidwina, one of the most famous Dutch saints who lived her life in Schiedam. The city subsequently gained significance by fishing for herring. In 1428 a great city fire swept through Schiedam, destroying large parts of the then wooden city.[citation needed]
In 1575 the world's first known commercial distillery started operations in Schiedam.[5] The 18th century was Schiedam's Golden Age, when the gin industry flourished. The standstill in drink imports from France made the boom in Schiedam's distilleries possible.[citation needed] From dozens of distilleries Schiedam jenever was exported throughout the world. The gin industry gave the city its nickname "Black Nazareth". This industry is now largely gone. Five windmills in the town, called De Noord, Walvisch, Drie Koornbloemen, Nieuwe Palmboom and Vrijheid − are the highest traditional-style windmills in the world because they had to stick out above the high warehouses, and many storehouses are relics of this past. In one of the former factories at the Lange Haven the National Jenever Museum operates.[citation needed]
On 10 August 1856, the first major train accident in the Netherlands happened near Schiedam Centrum railway station, causing 3 deaths. On 4 May 1976 the 1976 Schiedam train accident also took place near the station, which caused 24 deaths.[6]
At the end of the 19th and throughout the 20th century, the shipbuilding industry boomed in Schiedam, with large companies like Wilton-Fijenoord and others. In 1941, the ancient municipalities Kethel en Spaland were merged with Schiedam, which made large expansions of the city possible with residential areas in the north.[citation needed] At the end of the 20th century, the shipbuilding industry largely disappeared and today, Schiedam is mainly a commuter-area in the Rotterdam metropolitan area.[citation needed]
The city of Schiedam is located in the province of South Holland. It is enclosed between Rotterdam (east), Midden-Delfland (north), Vlaardingen (west) and the river Nieuwe Maas (south).
Schiedam exists of nine districts: Centrum ('Center'), Oost ('East'), Gorzen ('South'), West ('West'), Nieuwland, Groenoord, Kethel, Woudhoek and Spaland/Sveaparken.[7]
55,44% Dutch background, 14,42% Western migration background, 30,15% Non western migration background[citation needed]
The most popular sports in Schiedam are soccer and field hockey. The town used to have two professional soccer teams, one named SVV (Schiedamse voetbal vereniging), whereas the other one was named Hermes along the Damlaan where also cricket was played. Both disappeared from the professional level after financial problems. Cricket is also rather popular in Schiedam due to having two cricket teams playing on the highest national level, the topklasse. The Dutch capital Amsterdam for example only has one. Earlier mentioned team Hermes D.V.S. boasts two topklasse titles, where rivals Excelsior '20 holds eleven titles respectively. [17]
High schools in Schiedam:
|
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Netherlands |
Schiedam is twinned with:
|
|
All these contacts were under review after a decision of the municipal council on 4 February 2010 [22]
_op_het_Stadserf_IMG_8171_2016-03-13_14.04.jpg)
