- Hoorn
Infobox Settlement
official_name = Hoorn
mapsize = 280px
flag_size = 150x75px
image_shield = Hoorn wapen.png
shield_size = 150x75px
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name =Netherlands
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 =North Holland
leader_name = G.O. van Veldhuizen
leader_party = D66
area_footnotes = (2006)
area_total_km2 = 52.24
area_land_km2 = 19.31
area_water_km2 = 32.93
population_as_of =1 January ,2007
population_note = Source: CBS, [http://statline.cbs.nl/ Statline] .
settlement_type = Municipality
population_total = 68852
population_density_km2 = 3529
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2
latd = 52.65
latm=0
lats=0
latNS = N
longd = 5.07
longm=0
longs=0
longEW = E
website = [http://www.hoorn.nl/ www.hoorn.nl].
History
Founded in
716 , Hoorn rapidly grew to become a major harbour town. During Holland's 'Golden Age' (or 'Golden Century'), Hoorn was an important home base for theDutch East India Company (VOC) and a very prosperous centre of trade. The Hoorn fleet plied the seven seas and returned laden with precious commodities. Exotic spices such as pepper,nutmeg ,cloves , and mace were sold at vast profits. With their skill in trade and seafaring, sons of Hoorn established the town's name far and wide.Jan Pieterszoon Coen (1587 -1629 ) is famous for his violent raids inDutch Indies (nowIndonesia ), where he "founded" the city of Batavia in1619 (nowJakarta ). He has a big statue on the Rode Steen square in the center of Hoorn.In
1618 Willem Ysbrandtsz Bontekoe (1587 -1657 ) undertook his first and only voyage for the VOC. His story of his travel and hardship found its way into the history books when he published his adventures in1646 under the title "Journael ofte gedenckwaerdige beschrijvinge van de Oost-Indische reyse van Willem Ysbrantsz. Bontekoe van Hoorn, begrijpende veel wonderlijcke en gevaerlijcke saecken hem daer in wedervaren". In1616 , the explorer Willem Corneliszoon Schouten braved furious storms as he rounded the southernmost tip ofSouth America . He named it Kaap Hoorn (Cape Horn ) in honour of his hometown.Hoorn's fortunes declined somewhat in the
eighteenth century . The prosperous trading port became little more than a sleepy fishing village on theZuiderzee . Following the Napoleonic occupation, there was a period during which the town gradually turned its back on the sea. It developed to become the market for the entire West Frisian agricultural region. Stallholders and shopkeepers devoted themselves to trading in dairy produce and seeds. When the railway and metalled roads came to Hoorn in the late nineteenth century, the town rapidly took its rightful place as a conveniently located and readily accessible centre in the network of towns and villages which make up the province of Noord-Holland. In1932 , theAfsluitdijk , or Great Enclosing Dyke, was completed and Hoorn was no longer a seaport.The years after the
Second World War saw a period of renewed growth. At the centre of a flourishing horticultural region, Hoorn developed an extremely varied economy. During the1960 s, Hoorn was designated an 'overflow' city to relieve pressure on the overcrowdedRandstad region. Thousands of people swapped their cramped little apartments inAmsterdam for a family house with garden in one of Hoorn's modern new developments.On the 26th of March 2007, Hoorn will celebrate 650 years as a city. In 1357 Hoorn was awarded city rights by the Count of Holland after a lump sum payment of 1500 "schilden" to the Count.
Local government
The municipal council of Hoorn consists of 33 seats, which are divided as follows:
* PvdA - 11 seats
* V.O.C. Hoorn - 6 seats
* CDA - 4 seats
* VVD - 4 seats
*GroenLinks - 4 seats
* Hoornse Senioren Partij - 2 seats
* D66 - 1 seat
* Hoorns Belang - 1 seatRailway connections
Hoorn is connected to the Dutch railway network, and contains two stations: Hoorn and Hoorn Kersenboogerd. Also, it is the starting point of the historical railway between Hoorn and Medemblik.
Twin cities
The City Of Hoorn has a twin city status with:
*Beersel , Belgium, since 1979
*Malacca Town , Malaysia, since 1989
*Příbram , Czech Rep., since 1992Closest cities, towns and villages
geocompass
hub = Hoorn
type= ex
NN =Wognum ,Zwaagdijk ,
NE =Oosterblokker ,Westwoud
EE =Wijmers ,Blokdijk
SE =Schellinkhout ,Lelystad
SS =Edam ,Volendam
SW =Scharwoude ,Grosthuizen
WW =Bobeldijk ,Spierdijk
NW =Lekermeer ,Baarsdorpermeer Cities (within 100 km)
*
Purmerend (20 km)
*Enkhuizen (24 km)
*Alkmaar (27 km)
*Amsterdam (45 km)
*Lelystad (55 km)
*Den Helder (60 km)
*Leeuwarden (99 km)Towns (within 50 km)
*
Edam (18 km)
*Medemblik (20 km)
*Volendam (21 km)Villages
*
Berkhout (5 km)
*Wognum (8 km)
*Nibbixwoud (9 km)Hoorn is approximately
latitudinal with the towns ofNorwich (England ) andBerlin (Germany ).References
* Statistics are taken from the [http://www.sdu.nl/staatscourant/gemeentes/gem241nh.htm SDU Staatscourant]
External links
* [http://www.plattegronden.nl/hoorn/index.html A map of Hoorn]
* [http://www.hoorngids.nl Hoorn info]
* [http://www.mooihoorn.nl beautiful Hoorn]
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