Amersfoort

Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands.

Population centres

The municipality of Amersfoort consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Amersfoort, Hoogland, Hooglanderveen, Stoutenburg Noord.

The city of Amersfoort

History

Hunter gatherers set up their camps in the Amersfoort region in the Mesolithic period. Traces of these camps have been found to the north of Amersfoort by archaelogists, mainly consisting of vague features, which represent the hearths of the hunter-camps. Sometimes microlithic flint objects have been found.

Settlements in the Amersfoort area from around 1000 BC have been found, but the name Amersfoort (named after a ford in the Amer river, now the Eem) did not appear until the 11th century. It was granted city rights in 1259 by the bishop of Utrecht Hendrik van Vianden. The city developed around what is now known as the central square, the "Hof". This was the place where the Bishop of Utrecht settled a court, in order to control the "Gelderse vallei". Around the episcopal court the city grew, resulting in the grant of city rights. A first defensive wall, made out of brick, was finished around 1300. Soon after, the need for enlargement of the city appeared and around 1380 the start of a new wall took place, which was finished around 1450. The famous Koppelpoort is part of this wall. The first wall was demolished and at its place houses arose. The Muurhuizen (wallhouses) street is at the exact location of the first wall; the front wall of the houses is founded on top of the citywall foundations.

The famous Koppelpoort in Amersfoort, at evening

The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwentoren (Our Lady's tower, [1]) is one of the highest medieval church towers of the country: 98 m. The construction of the tower and the church was started in 1444. The church was demolished by an explosion in 1787, but the tower survived. It is now the reference point of the RD coordinate system, the coordinate grid used by the Dutch topographical service: the RD coordinates are (155.000, 463.000).

The inner city of Amersfoort has been preserved very well since the Middle Ages. Apart from the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren, the main attractions are the Sint-Joris church, the Koppelpoort (a combined land and water gate in the city walls), and the Muurhuizen (Wall-houses), which were built against the oldest city wall.

In the Middle Ages, Amersfoort was an important centre of textile industries, and there were a large number of breweries in the city. In the 18th century the city flourished because of the cultivation of tobacco.

Second World War

In the Second World War there was a concentration camp near the city of Amersfoort. The camp, officially called Polizeiliches Durchgangslager Amersfoort (Police Transit Camp Amersfoort), better known as Kamp Amersfoort, was actually located in the neighbouring municipality of Leusden. After the war the leader of the camp, Joseph Kotälla, was sentenced to death.

Keistad (Stone-city)

File:Amersfoortse Kei.jpg

Amersfoortse Kei

The nickname for Amersfoort, Keistad (stone-city), originates in the Amersfoortse Kei, a boulder that was dragged into the city in 1661 by 400 people because of a bet. This story embarrassed the inhabitants, and they buried the boulder in the city, but after it was found again in 1903 it was placed on a prominent spot as a monument.

Transportation

In Amersfoort you can use the Connexxion busses, the BBA busses and the "Stadsvervoer Nederland" busses. With Connexxion you can travel to each place in Amersfoort and some places further, like Utrecht. With BBA, just like Stadsvervoer Nederland, you can travel to regional destinations. Amersfoort has 3 train stations. Amersfoort, the intercity station, with trains to Enschede, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Amsterdam and Leeuwarden/Groningen, and Amersfoort Schothorst. This station has twice an hour a train to Utrecht, twice a train to Hilversum, Amsterdam and Schagen and twice to Zwolle. In 2006 a new station has been completed called Amersfoort Vathorst. At this station every hour two trains depart to Utrecht Centraal. From the year 2007 two trains will depart to Zwolle every hour.

Miscellaneous

Amersfoort is the birthplace of statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, painter Piet Mondriaan, and entertainer Johannes Heesters.

In swimming pool Sportfondsenbad there is a yearly nudist day in March (NFN members and donors only).

A new station Amersfoort Vathorst near Hooglanderveen, between the stations Amersfoort Schothorst and Nijkerk, has been completed in June 2006.

Amersfoort is the host of an ATP profesional tennis tournament held each year during July.

Every year 't Atrium, a local high school hosts an international exchange program with a number of European countries and Canada. In 2006 Ireland, Norway, France, Czech Republic, France, Spain and Canada participated.

Local government

The municipal council of Amersfoort consists of 39 seats, which are divided as follows [2]:

• VVD - 6 seats
• PvdA - 10 seats
• CDA - 5 seats
• GroenLinks - 4 seats
• Jouw Amersfoort - 3 seats
• ChristenUnie - 3 seats
• SP - 3 seats
• Burger Partij Amersfoort - 5 seats

References

• Statistics are taken from the SDU Staatscourant

External links

• Detailed Falkplan map