Bunschoten (ˈbʏn.ˌsχoː.tə(n)) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, in the province of Utrecht

Utrecht (province)

Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...

. It lies about 7 km north of Amersfoort

Amersfoort

Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...

. Its territory comprises the original municipality of Bunschoten (created in 1204 by the bishop of Utrecht) and the former municipality of Duyst, De Haar and Zevenhuizen, which was a part of Hoogland

Hoogland

Hoogland is a village and former free-standing municipality in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The village population is 10,587 people ....

 from 1854 until 1971.

History

Bunschoten was first named in 1294. It was located on the border between Utrecht

Utrecht (province)

Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...

 and Guelders

Guelders

Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...

, and it suffered a number of times from invasions from Guelders

Guelders

Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...

. In 1383, the bishop of Utrecht gave Bunschoten city rights

City rights in the Netherlands

City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....

, which allowed the citizens to build an earthen wall around the town. The fortifications and a part of the town were destroyed at Christmas 1427 in a war between two rival bishops, and were never rebuilt.

Population centres

The municipality of Bunschoten consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts:

• Bunschoten
• Spakenburg
  Spakenburg
  Spakenburg is a Dutch village north of Bunschoten. Spakenburg is formally called Bunschoten-Spakenburg since its fusion with Bunschoten. The village lays south of the IJsselmeer in the municipality Bunschoten, Utrecht...
  
  
• Eemdijk
  Eemdijk
  Eemdijk is a small village on the river Eem in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It lies in the municipality of Bunschoten, about 3 km east of Bunschoten-Spakenburg, and has a population of about 800. Formerly, most of the population consisted of farmers or factory workers.The village has a small...
  
  
• Zevenhuizen
  Zevenhuizen (Utrecht)
  Zevenhuizen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Bunschoten, and lies about 6 km north of the centre of Amersfoort. The village consists of a single road, the Zevenhuizerstraat....
  
  .