Maasland
Encyclopedia
Maasland is a town in the western Netherlands
, in the province of South Holland
. It lies in the municipality of Midden-Delfland
and covers an area of 24.42 km² (of which 0.64 km² water).
Maasland was a separate municipality until 2004, when it became part of Midden-Delfland.
The first signs of a community started back in 925 when the area became part of the county of Graaf Dirk II and a church was built. After severe floodings during the 12th century, the Maasdijk was rebuilt and the town centre has been relocated to where it still is. In 1241 the German Teutonic Knights drew on the territory of Maasland.
In 1450 the 'Poldermolen' (translation: Poldermill) was built in Maasland (see picture).
During the war between Spain and the Netherlands a huge area of the Netherlands was flooded which was part of the strategy of Willem van Oranje. In 1574, these floodings affected Maasland, and once again the town was flooded. It took a couple of years before the town was rebuilt and in 1614 part of the town Maasland (which included the Maeslandsluys) gained independency and is known as Maassluis.
Until 1874 congresses where held in the tavern 'de Pynas'. After a townhall was built and this became the new place used for congresses.
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 South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
. It lies in the municipality of Midden-Delfland
Midden-Delfland
Midden-Delfland is a municipality in the Westland region in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It had a population of 17,072 in 2004, and covers an area of 49.38 km² of which 1.93 km² is water...
and covers an area of 24.42 km² (of which 0.64 km² water).
Maasland was a separate municipality until 2004, when it became part of Midden-Delfland.
The first signs of a community started back in 925 when the area became part of the county of Graaf Dirk II and a church was built. After severe floodings during the 12th century, the Maasdijk was rebuilt and the town centre has been relocated to where it still is. In 1241 the German Teutonic Knights drew on the territory of Maasland.
In 1450 the 'Poldermolen' (translation: Poldermill) was built in Maasland (see picture).
During the war between Spain and the Netherlands a huge area of the Netherlands was flooded which was part of the strategy of Willem van Oranje. In 1574, these floodings affected Maasland, and once again the town was flooded. It took a couple of years before the town was rebuilt and in 1614 part of the town Maasland (which included the Maeslandsluys) gained independency and is known as Maassluis.
Until 1874 congresses where held in the tavern 'de Pynas'. After a townhall was built and this became the new place used for congresses.
Must Sees
- The Church (founded approx. 1400), burned down during the celebrations for freedom after World War II. Restored in 1954.
- Tavern 'de Pynas', which is these days a cafe.
- Museum 'de Schilpen', a eighty year old grocery store in original state. These days a museum.
- The 'Two Mills'
In the News
- According to Elsevier (a Dutch magazine) Maasland was the wealthiest town in the Netherlands during 2004.
- In August 2004 the KNMI (Dutch institute for Weather forecasting) reported a extreme high level of rainfall in the Netherlands. In the month August 325mm of rainfall was registered by the weatherstation in Maasland, the highest since the KNMI started measuring the rainfall in 1900.
External links
- Official website Map of the former municipality, around 1868.
- Maasland and Midden-Delfland Mooi Dichtbij portal