Mijdrecht is a town in the Netherlands with about 16,000 residents.[1] It is located in the municipality of De Ronde Venen, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the main A2 motorway, between Utrecht and Amsterdam.

Mijdrecht
Flag of Mijdrecht
Coat of arms of Mijdrecht
Location of Mijdrecht
Location of Mijdrecht
Coordinates: 52°12′26″N 4°51′34″E / 52.20722°N 4.85944°E / 52.20722; 4.85944
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceUtrecht
MunicipalityDe Ronde Venen
Population
 (2019)[1]
16,005
 • Density845/km2 (2,190/sq mi)

The main street is the Dorpstraat, where most shops and the municipal offices are located. There is a police office, a fire department, 6 supermarkets, sport facilities, and a coffee shop. There is no police or doctor at the weekends.

History

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Painters houses, Frisian-style farmhouse and water tower

Middle Ages

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In 1085 the parish of Mijdrecht, together with those of Wilnis, Tamen, Zevenhoven en Kudelstaart, was granted to the Deaconate of St. John (Proosdij van Sint-Jan), by Conrad, the Prince-bishop of Utrecht, in return for a depot in the Holland-Utrecht border region and the guarantee that the deaconate would develop the rugged terrain for habitation.[2] 1085 is the year taken as the founding of the municipality of Mijdrecht.

19th century

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In 1815, soon after the French-Batavian period, the mayor of Mijdrecht, Hendrikus Abraham van Doorn van Noordscharwoude, submitted a questionnaire to the Minister of War. The questionnaire, about local conditions, reported a population of 3,000, including 5 carpenters, 2 smiths, 1 brazier, 2 brick-layers, 6 bakers, 8 tailors, and 6 cobblers.[3]

20th century

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Most parts of the town (like Hofland-Noord and Molenland) were built after 1980.

In 1989 the municipality of Mijdrecht was merged into De Ronde Venen.[4]

21st century

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The city has continued to grow through "Wickelhof I and II" expansions.

Demographics

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During the early 20th Century, Mijdrecht was a growing community. In 1925, the then-municipality of Mijdrecht had a population of 4,506,[5] which grew to 4,618 in 1940.[6] In 1950, the population of the municipality had grown to 5,379.[7] In 1988, the last year that Mijdrecht was a separate municipality, the municipality population was 16,414.[8]

In recent years, Mijdrecht has had a declining population. In 2016 it had a population of 15,230, compared to 15,865 in 2010. This decline is particular in the 0-15 and 25-45 age ranges, with children (0-15) declining from 18% of the population in 2010 to 16% in 2016, and mid-range adults (25-45) declining from 25% in 2010 to 22% in 2016. By contrast, the percentage of seniors (65+) has grown from 14% in 2010 to 18% in 2016.[9][10]

Neighborhoods

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Mijdrecht consists of a downtown center around the Dorpstraat, and a number of planned residential neighborhoods, of which Proostdijland is the oldest.

Neighborhoods (wijken) Population (2019)[11]
Bedrijventerrein Mijdrecht 170
Hofland 3,600
Mijdrecht Dorp 1,450
Molenland 3,200
Proostdijland 3,590
Twistvlied-Wickelhof 3,105
Total 15,115

The rural area around the town is home to another 880 inhabitants.[11]

Governance

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Ever since the mergers of the municipalities of Mijdrecht, Wilnis, and Vinkeveen/Waverveen in 1989, Mijdrecht has been governed by the Municipality of De Ronde Venen.[4][12] The municipality is governed by a Municipal Council (Dutch: gemeenteraad) presently consisting of 27 councillors.[13]

Day-to-day executive administration is performed by the council of mayor and aldermen (Dutch: college van burgemeester en wethouders). The mayor, Maarten Divendal, was appointed by the crown on 22 November 2011. The remainder of the council consists of three aldermen and the municipal secretary, who heads the municipal administration.[14][15]

Business

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Mijdrecht is the location for the Dutch branch of S. C. Johnson & Son, where it is housed in an office building designed by Hugh Maaskant on the Groot-Mijdrechtstraat.[16]

The following numbers of businesses by sector were reported by Statistics Netherlands for 2016:[9]

Businesses by sector Quantity
Total 1,590
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 10
Industry and energy 265
Trade and catering 395
Transportation, information, and communication 140
Business services 440
Culture, recreation, and other 150

Culture

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Education

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Elementary

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Mijdrecht has seven elementary schools, one in nearly all of the residential neighborhoods. A number of these are public, Catholic and Protestant.[17]

School Neighborhood Denomination
De Fontein Proostdijland Protestant
Driehuis Molenland Catholic
De Windroos Proostdijland Catholic
Hofland Hofland-Zuid Catholic
De Twister Molenland Public
De Eendracht Hofland-Zuid Public

Secondary

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There is one high/secondary school called Veenlanden College. The Mijdrecht campus of the school contains around 1500 students in MAVO, HAVO and Atheneum levels.[18]

Recreation

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Mijdrecht is home to the football and basketball club SV Argon, which was created after a merger of three football clubs in Mijdrecht and Wilnis in 1971.[19]

From 1982 until 2012, Mijdrecht was the location for an annual national festival called AJOC (Algemene Jongeren Ontspannings Club - General Youth Recreation Club).[20][21][22]

Religion

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In 1937, the provincial almanac of Utrecht reported Mijdrecht having a population of 4,717, of whom 1,838 were Roman Catholic, 1,646 Dutch Reformed, 877 Reformed, and 136 not being members of a church.[23] Currently, there are numerous protestant churches, of various denominations and one Catholic Church. There was also a synagogue on the Kerkweg.

Presently, Mijdrecht also has a Muslim community with a mosque, the Hakyol Moskee in Twistvlied. The Hakyol Mosque shares an address with the Veenhartkerk, a Christian Reformed church.

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ a b Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS). "Aantal inwoners - Wijken". CBS in uw buurt. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  2. ^ Cappon, C.M. (1983). "F. Doeleman, De heerschappij van de proost van Sint Jan in de middeleeuwen 1085-1594. Een rechtshistorische studie van de institutionele aard van een hoge heerlijkheid in het veen van Wilnis, Mijdrecht, Tamen, Kudelstaart en Zevenhoven in het grensgebied van Holland en het Nedersticht, alsmede in Achttienhoven". BMGN: Low Countries Historical Review. 98 (3): 494–498. doi:10.18352/bmgn-lchr.2421.
  3. ^ De Wit, Fred (2009). "De Lindeboom: voor de oorlog een begrip in koekminnend Nederland". Proosdijkoerier. 25 (1): 8. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2011.
  5. ^ Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (1925). Bevolking en Bevolkingsdichtheid der Gemeenten van Nederland op 1 Januari 1925 (PDF). p. 18. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. ^ Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (1940). Bevolking en oppervlakte der gemeenten van Nederland op 1 januari 1940 (PDF). 'S Gravenhage: N.V. Drukkerij Albani. p. 40. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  7. ^ Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (1950). Bevolking der gemeenten van Nederland op 1 Januari 1950 (PDF). Utrecht: W. De Haan N.V. p. 33. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  8. ^ Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (1988). Bevolking der gemeenten van Nederland op 1 Januari 1988. S Gravenhage: Staatsuigeverij. pp. 22–23. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  9. ^ a b Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (2018). Aantal inwoners - Buurten - 2016. CBS in uw buurt. Retrieved on February 2, 2018
  10. ^ Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (2018). Aantal inwoners - Buurten - 2010. CBS in uw buurt. Retrieved on February 2, 2018
  11. ^ a b Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS). "Aantal inwoners - buurten". CBS in uw buurt. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  12. ^ Regionaal Historisch Centrum Vecht en Venen (1 February 2015). "Korte geschiedenis". archieven.nl. DE REE Archiefsystemen. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  13. ^ Gemeente De Ronde Venen. "Gemeenteraad". Gemeente De Ronde Venen. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  14. ^ Gemeente De Ronde Venen. "College van B&W". Gemeente De Ronde Venen. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  15. ^ Gemeente De Ronde Venen. "Organogram" (PDF). Gemeente De Ronde Venen. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  16. ^ Maaskant van Dommelen Kroos, A. (1972). Johnson-Wax Mijdrecht (Holanda). Informes De La Construccion, 25(242), 9-14.
  17. ^ "03. Adressen van alle schoolvestigingen in het basisonderwijs". Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs. Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  18. ^ "Veenlanden College (2017) | 2017-2018 School Gids" (PDF). www.veenlandencollege.nl. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  19. ^ Sportvereniging Argon (9 September 2013). "De Club: Over SV Argon". SV Argon (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  20. ^ AJOC (22 September 2009). "Nieuw AJOC seizoen specatulair van start!". 0297.nl. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  21. ^ AJOC Festival. "AJOC Festival". 0297.nl. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  22. ^ AJOC Festival (28 November 2012). "Geen AJOC Festival in 2013". 0297.nl. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  23. ^ Compier, Fons (2009). "Vergelijking met Mijdrecht en Wilnis". Proosdijkoerier. 25 (1): 25. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
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52°12′N 4°52′E / 52.200°N 4.867°E / 52.200; 4.867