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'{{about|the Dutch city|the city in South Africa|Dordrecht, Eastern Cape}} {{Infobox Settlement |official_name = Dordrecht |image_flag = Flag of Dordrecht.svg |flag_size = 120x100px |image_shield =Wapendordrecht.gif |shield_size = 120x100px |image_map = LocatieDordrecht.png |mapsize = 280px |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = [[Netherlands]] |subdivision_type1 = Province |subdivision_name1 = [[South Holland]] |area_footnotes = (2006) |area_total_km2 = 99.45 |area_land_km2 = 79.53 |area_water_km2 = 19.92 |population_as_of = [[1 January]], [[2007]] |population_note = Source: [[Statistics Netherlands|CBS]], [http://statline.cbs.nl/ Statline]. |settlement_type = Municipality |population_total = 118613 |population_density_km2 = 1491 |timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]] |utc_offset = +1 |timezone_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]] |utc_offset_DST = +2 |latd = 51.81 |latNS = N |longd = 4.67 |longEW = E |website = [http://www.dordrecht.nl www.dordrecht.nl] }} [[Image:RMSDeltaNorth.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Satellite image of part of the [[Rhine-Meuse delta]], showing the Island of Dordrecht and the eponymous city (7)]] [[Image:Ltspkr.png]]'''[[Media:Nl-Dordrecht.ogg|Dordrecht]]''' (population 118.390 in 2008), in the local dialect '''Dordt''', is a city and municipality in the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] province of [[South Holland]], the fourth largest city of the province. The municipality covers the entire Dordrecht Island, also often called the Island of Dordt, bordered by the rivers [[Oude Maas]], [[Beneden Merwede]], [[Nieuwe Merwede]], [[Hollands Diep]], and [[Dordtsche Kil]]. Dordrecht is the largest and most important city in the [[Drechtsteden]] and is also part of the [[Randstad]], the main [[conurbation]] in the Netherlands. The name Dordrecht comes from ''Thyre'', the name of a river, and Middle Dutch ''drecht'' "[[ford]]", meaning "Thure [[Ford (crossing)|river crossing]]". Some documentation speaks of the river actually being called Thuredrith. Inhabitants of Dordrecht are ''Dordtenaren'' (singular: ''Dordtenaar''). Dordrecht is informally called ''Dordt''. During [[Carnaval]], Dordrecht is called ''Ooi- en Ramsgat'' (Ewe's and Ram's hole), and its inhabitants are ''Schapenkoppen'' (Sheepheads). Throughout the year, tourists can buy sheep related souvenirs; This name originates from an old folk story. Import of meat or cattle was taxed in the 17th century. Two men dressed up a sheep they had bought outside the city walls, attempting to disguise it as a man. The sheep was discovered because it bleated as the three men (two men and one sheep) passed through the city wall gate. ==History== The city was formed along the Thure river, in the midst of peat swamps. This river was a branch of the river Dubbel and ran approximately near the current Bagijnhof. In 1049 the first reference to Dordrecht was made. Count Dirk IV was murdered that year near "''Thuredrech''". [[Image:Aelbert Cuyp 001.jpg|thumb|200px|left|View of Dordrecht, by [[Aelbert Cuyp]].]] Dordrecht was granted [[City rights in the Netherlands|city rights]] by [[William I, Count of Holland]], in 1220, making it the oldest city in [[Holland]]. In 1253 a Latin school was founded in Dordrecht. It still exists today as the [[Johan de Witt Gymnasium]] and is the oldest [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasium]] in the Netherlands. From 1600 to 1615 [[Gerhard Johann Vossius]] was [[rector]] at this school. On 17 April 1421, the [[St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)|Saint Elisabeth's flood]] drowned large parts of southern Holland, causing Dordrecht to become an island. Over 100,000 people died in the flood. Because of its strategic location the city developed into an important market city. It traded primarily in wine, wood, and cereals. In 1572, representatives of all Dutch cities gathered in Dordrecht to declare their independence from [[Spain]] and acknowledge [[William I of Orange|William of Orange]] as the leader of the fledgling Dutch state, marking the beginning of the [[Eighty Years War]]. In 1618/1619, an important church meeting took place, called the [[Synod of Dordrecht]], settling a theological dispute between the orthodox [[Calvinists]] and the liberal [[Arminians]] that had brought the country on the brink of civil war. The Arminians were defeated, resulting in the formulation of the [[Dordrecht Confession of Faith]]. [[Image:Dordrecht 1868.png|thumb|200px|left|Plan of Dordrecht from 1868.]] From 1780 to 1787, Dordrecht was home to the [[Patriots (faction)|Patriots]] faction which intended to remove the hereditary [[Stadtholder]] position held by the [[House of Orange-Nassau]]. The Netherlands was after all a republic ''[[de jure]]''. Soon after, more cities followed and [[William V, Prince of Orange|William V]] fled from Holland. But his brother-in-law, King [[Frederick William II of Prussia]], came to the aid of William V and on 18 September 1787, Dordrecht capitulated to Prussian troops. The Patriots were defeated and Willem V was restored in his position as Stadtholder. In the 18th century, the importance of Dordrecht began to wane, and [[Rotterdam]] became the main city in the region. Yet throughout the centuries, Dordrecht held a key position in the defense of Holland. It hosted an army division well into the 20th century. During the [[mobilization]] of August 1939, infantry and artillery were sent to Dordrecht to defend the island. At the end of the [[Second World War]], during the winter of 1944-45, Dordrecht and its surroundings were in the middle between the opposing armies. The border between occupied and liberated regions ran along the [[Hollands Diep]]. In 1970, the municipality [[Dubbeldam]] (then ca. 10,000 inhabitants) and the southern part of the municipality of [[Sliedrecht]] were incorporated into Dordrecht, making Dordrecht Island one municipality. ==Demography== [[Image:DordtSynod.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The [[Synod of Dordrecht]] 1618/19]] Around 18% of the population of Dordrecht is of non-Western origin. This group is expanding while the growth of the indigenous population is decreasing. The allochthonous population consists of young people for a large part while the indigenous population has started to age very quickly. Over 6 thousand [[Turks]] live in Dordrecht, many of whom are originally from [[Kayapinar]]. According to the Social Geographical Office of Dordrecht, as of 1 January 2005 the population consisted of the following ethnic groups; {| class="wikitable" !colspan="2"|Population of Dordrecht as of 1 january 2005''' |- |'''Ethnic group''' |ALIGN="right"|'''Number of residents''' |- |Native Dutch |ALIGN="right"|86.594 |- |Western [[allochtoon|allochtonen]] |ALIGN="right"|11.610 |- |[[Turks]] |ALIGN="right"|6113 |- |[[Moroccans]] |ALIGN="right"|2521 |- |[[Suriname|Surinameses]] |ALIGN="right"|2759 |- |[[Netherlands Antilles|Netherlands Antilleans]] |ALIGN="right"|3199 |- |Other non-Western [[allochtoon|allochtonen]] |ALIGN="right"|6528 |- |'''Total as of 01-01-2005''' |ALIGN="right"|'''119.324''' |} ==Economy== The current economy of Dordrecht is based on ship building, wood industry, and steel industry. The city has the sixth largest sea port in the Netherlands. One of the largest employers on Dordrecht Island is [[DuPont|DuPont de Nemours (Nederland) B.V.]] It has 9 factories here with a workforce of 900 people. Together with Zwijndrecht, Papendrecht, and Sliedrecht (the "[[Drechtsteden|''Drecht'' Cities]]"), Dordrecht is planning a new ambitious vision to revitalize the region's economy, moving from industry to more business services. In development are the "Learning" and "Health" Business Parks. The Learning Park is intended to have 60,000 m² of space for educational institutions. In the Health Park, a wide range of health services will be located, with the Dordwijk Campus of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital as focal point. Other services include a blood bank, pharmacy, and mental health clinic. Near the Health Park a new Sport Park will be built. A new large sport centre, the equivalent size of 3 soccer fields, is planned complete with gyms, skating rink, and a pool. Next to this Sport Park, a huge outdoor event terrain will be established. ==Goverment and Politics== ===College van B&W=== In December 2008, the [[College van Burgemeester en Wethouders]] ('Board of Aldermen') in Dordrecht consisted of the following: * R.J.G. (Ronald) Bandell, [[mayor]] since 2000. * J.W. Spigt, alderman * F.J. van den Oever, alderman * D.A. van Steensel, alderman * A.T. Kamsteeg, alderman * J.H. Lagendijk, alderman ===Local election=== The results of the [[Dutch municipal elections, 2006]] in Dordrecht were as follows; {| class="wikitable" !colspan="3"|'''Dutch municipal elections of 2006''' |- |'''Party'''||'''Votes in %'''||'''Seats in City council''' |- |[[Partij van de Arbeid (Nederland)|PvdA]]||ALIGN="right"|29,4||ALIGN="right"|12 |- |[[Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie|VVD]]||ALIGN="right"|15,1||ALIGN="right"|6 |- |[[BV Dordt]]||ALIGN="right"|14,9||ALIGN="right"|6 |- |[[Christen-Democratisch Appèl|CDA]]||ALIGN="right"|10,5||ALIGN="right"|4 |- |[[ChristenUnie]]-[[Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij|SGP]]||ALIGN="right"|8,5||ALIGN="right"|3 |- |[[GroenLinks]]||ALIGN="right"|7,3||ALIGN="right"|3 |- |[[Verenigde Senioren Partij|VSP]]||ALIGN="right"|6,8||ALIGN="right"|2 |- |[[ECODORDT]]||ALIGN="right"|4,6||ALIGN="right"|2 |- |[[Democraten 66|D66]]||ALIGN="right"|2,9||ALIGN="right"|1 |- |''Turnout''||ALIGN="right"|''48,6''||ALIGN="right"|39 |} ===Partner cities=== [[Town twinning|Partner cities]] of Dordrecht are: * [[Hastings]] in [[England]] * [[Recklinghausen]] in [[Germany]], since 1974 * [[Bamenda]] in [[Cameroon]], since 1993 * [[Varna]] in [[Bulgaria]], since 2001 * [[Dordrecht, Eastern Cape|Dordrecht]] in [[South Africa]], since 2006 ==Places of interest== [[Image:Grote Kerk, Dordrecht.jpg|thumb|250px|The Grote Kerk and one of the many canals (New Harbor)]] * river quay and Groothoofds Gate * Onze lieve vrouwe Kerk (''Our dear lady's Church'') or Grote Kerk (''Big Church'') with uncompleted leaning tower * [[canal]]s * [[merchant]] houses ==Public transport== Dordrecht is well connected to the Dutch railroad system, and has several international connections. The train system hosts: '''Four trainlines''' * South-West direction [[Roosendaal]]-and further (including international to [[Belgium]]/[[France]]) * South-East direction [[Breda]], [[Eindhoven]] * North-West direction [[Rotterdam]], [[The Hague]], [[Amsterdam]] * East direction [[Gorinchem]], [[Geldermalsen]] The four operating trainlines serve three railway stations within the city boundaries (Dordrecht, Dordrecht Zuid, Dordrecht Stadspolders). '''Main connections''' *Frequent international trains to [[Antwerp]] and [[Brussels]], Belgium *Frequent services within the Netherlands: **Intercity line to [[Rotterdam]], [[The Hague]], [[Leiden]], [[Schiphol airport]] and [[Amsterdam]] (north-west) **Intercity line to [[Roosendaal]] and on to [[Vlissingen]] (south west) **Intercity line to [[Breda]], [[Tilburg]], [[Eindhoven]] , [[Helmond]] and [[Venlo]] (south east) **Several semi-fast services and local trains originate or call at Dordrecht; semi-fast services Amsterdam-Breda. *Detailed information available from the site of the [[Nederlandse Spoorwegen]] (Dutch Railways) [http://www.ns.nl] *[[Arriva]], the city bus company of Dordrecht, also serving [[Werkendam]], and also operating the Kop van 't Land ferry on the way. *Fast [[Ferry]]: **[[Rotterdam]] Willemskade - [[Krimpen aan den IJssel]] Stormpolder - [[Ridderkerk]] De Schans - [[Alblasserdam]] Kade - Dordrecht Merwekade. *Waterbus: **Dordrecht Hooikade - [[Zwijndrecht, Netherlands|Zwijndrecht]] Veerplein - Dordrecht Merwekade - [[Papendrecht]] Veerdam - Papendrecht Oosteind - Hollandse [[Biesbosch]] - [[Sliedrecht]] Middeldiep ==Famous people from Dordrecht== :''See also [[:Category:People from Dordrecht|People from Dordrecht]]'' * Beatrix the Rich (b. 1420/21?) - an orphan found after the St. Elizabeth's flood whose education was paid for by the city and who became ancestor of many people of Dordrecht. * Simon "the Danser" Simonszoon (1577-1611) - privateer and pirate * [[Gerhard Johann Vossius]] (1577-1649) - scholar and theologian * [[Jacob Cats]] (1577-1660) - stipendiary magistrate of Dordrecht and [[Grand Pensionary]] of Holland * Matthijs Balen (1611-1691) - writer, famous for ''Beschryving der Stad Dordrecht'' ("Description of City Dordrecht") from 1676 * [[Aelbert Cuyp]] (1620-1691) - painter, famous for his landscapes * [[Cornelis de Witt]] (1623-1672) - statesman and brother of Johan de Witt * [[Johan de Witt]] (1625-1672) - Grand Pensionary and brother of Cornelis de Witt * [[Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten]] (1627-1678) - painter, poet, and composer * Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719) - painter and writer * François Valentijn (1666-1727) - [[dominie]] and writer, famous for ''Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën'' ("Old and New East-India"), a book about the history of the [[Dutch East India Company]] and the countries of the Far East * [[Aart Schouman]] (1710-1792) - painter and engraver * Johannes Immerzeel Jr. (1776-1841) - writer and poet * Jan Schouten (1786-1852) - master ship builder, freemason, and poet * [[Ary Scheffer]] (1795-1858) - painter * Simon van Gijn (1836-1922) - banker and collector, whose home is now a museum in Dordrecht * [[Cornélie van Zanten]] (1855-1946) - opera singer, author, and teacher * Karel Lotsy (1893-1959) - sport leader, especially of the [[Netherlands national football team]] * [[Marinus Vertregt]] (1897-1973) - astronomer * [[Peter Hurkos]] (1911-1988) - popular entertainer known for performing psychic feats * [[Kees Buddingh']] (1918-1985) - poet and writer * [[Jan Eijkelboom]] (1926-2008) - journalist, poet, and writer * Willy Batenburg (1926-2000) - folk singer * Ad Scheepbouwer (1944) - chairman of the board of [[KPN]] ===Honorary citizens of Dordrecht=== * Simon Marinus Hugo van Gijn (1848-1937), since 1926 - member of [[House of Representatives of the Netherlands|House of Representatives]] * Dr. Theodoor Stoop * Top Naeff (1878-1953) - writer * Cees Buddingh', since 1978 * Jan Eijkelboom, since 2001 * Magnacult ==Image gallery== <gallery> Image:hofstraat.jpg|Hofstraat Image:Dordrecht_Grote_Kerk_toren.jpg|Grote Kerk Image:Dordrecht Groothoofdspoort2.jpg|Groothoofdspoort Image:Building-hof10.jpg|Het Hof (The Court) Image:Gebroeders de Witt voor de Centrale Bibliotheek.jpg|Statue of brothers 'de Witt' in front of the library Image:Cityhalldordrecht.jpg|City Hall Image:Pottenkade.jpg|Pottenkade next to the Grote Kerk Image:Cyckoverdendyck.jpg|[[Windmill]] 'Kyck over den Dyck' </gallery> ==External links== {{commonscat}} *http://dordrechtinbeeld.fotopic.net/ *http://www.dordrecht.nl/ (official web site) *http://www.dordt.nl/ *http://www.fastferry.nl/ *http://www.waterbus.nl/ - [http://www.waterbus.nl/figuren/kaartje2.jpg map] *http://www.geerts.com/dordrecht/dordrecht-history.htm *http://trial.blogtronix.net/Blackwolf/ {{South Holland Province}} [[Category:Municipalities of South Holland]] [[Category:Islands of the Netherlands]] [[Category:Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta]] [[Category:Cities in the Netherlands]] [[af:Dordrecht (Nederland)]] [[cy:Dordrecht]] [[da:Dordrecht]] [[de:Dordrecht]] [[et:Dordrecht]] [[el:Ντόρντρεχτ]] [[es:Dordrecht]] [[eo:Dordrecht]] [[fr:Dordrecht]] [[fy:Doardt]] [[id:Dordrecht]] [[it:Dordrecht]] [[la:Dordracum]] [[li:Dordrech]] [[hu:Dordrecht]] [[ms:Dordrecht]] [[nl:Dordrecht (Nederland)]] [[nds-nl:Dordrecht]] [[ja:ドルトレヒト]] [[no:Dordrecht]] [[nn:Dordrecht]] [[pl:Dordrecht]] [[pt:Dordrecht]] [[ro:Dordrecht (Ţările de Jos)]] [[ru:Дордрехт]] [[simple:Dordrecht]] [[sk:Dordrecht]] [[fi:Dordrecht]] [[sv:Dordrecht]] [[vo:Dordrecht]] [[zh:多德雷赫特]]'