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'' (population: 74,482 in 2006) is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 30.23 km² (of which 4.07 km² water).
The municipality also includes the communities of Hekelingen, Den Hoek and Beerenplaat.
Spijkenisse is a sister city with Thetford, United Kingdom, and Hürth, Germany.

Contents

History

Public transportation

Born in Spijkenisse

References

External links

History

Archeological research has shown that the area around Spijkenisse has been inhabited for many 1000s of years. The people then depended on fishing on the Meuse and hunting in the swamps.

The oldest reference to the name ''Spickenisse'' is from a source from 1231. This name comes from the words ''spieke'' (Spit (landform)) and ''nesse'' (nose) meaning "pointy nose" in reference to a spit of land protruding along the river.^[1]
Spijkenisse formed as a farmers and fishing village at a creek along the Oude Maas. Initially it belonged to the Lord of Putten (whose coat of arms is now used by the city) but in 1459 the fiefdom Putten, including Spijkenisse, was transferred to Philip III, Duke of Burgundy. In 1581 the area came under the control of the Count of Holland.^[2]
In the 16th century the village suffered several floods. In the 17th and 18th centuries it endured destructive fires which hampered its economic growth.

Public transportation

Born in Spijkenisse

★ Jan Campert (1902-1943), Dutch poet and writer

★ Erik de Jong (2 February 1961), Dutch artist (Spinvis)

★ Emiel Mellaard (21 March 1966), Dutch athlete

★ Medy van der Laan (14 August 1968), Dutch politician

References

1. http://www.spijkenisse.nl/live/content_item.jsp?selected=1074
2. http://home.zonnet.nl/irmarc/sol/spijkgs.htm

External links

★ official website

★ basic data

★ http://www.plattegronden.nl/spijkenisse/