Muiden is a municipality and a town in the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
, in the province of
North HollandNorth Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
. It lies at the mouth of the
VechtVecht is the name of two Dutch rivers:* Vecht, a Rhine branch from the city of Utrecht to the Eemmeer near the town of Muiden, sometimes called Utrechtse Vecht* Vecht Region is the region along the above river Vecht....
and is in an area called the
VechtstreekThe Vechtstreek is the area that lies along the river Vecht. The Vecht Region is in the Netherlands, specifically the province of North Holland and the province of Utrecht....
.
Population centres
The municipality of Muiden consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Muiden,
MuiderbergMuiderberg is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Muiden, and lies about 6 km north of Bussum and 2 km west of Naarden. Adjacent to the Naarderbos....
.
History
The first known reference to Muiden is from 953 when
Otto I, Holy Roman EmperorOtto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
, granted the settlement and its toll rights to
Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht||-||-||-||-||}St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, or Dom Church was the cathedral of the diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. Once the country's largest church and only cathedral, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, it has been a Protestant church since 1580...
. It was called
Amuda, meaning "mouth of the (river) A". "A" was the old name for the
Vechtthumb|right|[[Satellite]] [[image]] of the surroundings of [[Utrecht |Utrecht]] showing river Vecht and the [[Amsterdam-Rhine Canal]] .The Vecht is a Rhine branch in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is sometimes called Utrechtse Vecht to avoid confusion with its Overijssel counterpart...
river.
In 1122 Muiden was, together with
UtrechtUtrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern end of the Randstad, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands, with a population of 300,030 in 2007...
, granted some city rights by Emperor
Henry VHenry V was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor , the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. Henry's reign coincided with the final phase of the great Investiture Controversy, which had pitted pope against emperor...
. After the lands around Muiden were given to
Count Floris VCount Floris V of Holland and Zeeland , "der Keerlen God" , is one of the most important figures of the first, native dynasty of Holland . His life has been documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler...
, he began building
Muider CastleThe Muiderslot is a castle in the Netherlands, located at the mouth of the river Vecht, some 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, in Muiden, where it flows into what used to be the Zuiderzee...
at the mouth of the Vecht river. Muiden once again received
city rightsCity 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....
in 1296.
In 1673 the sea lock in the Vecht river was relocated from Fort Hinderdam to Muiden and in 1676 it was expanded with a sea wall along the Vecht mouth to prevent flooding.
Fortifications
The first defensive works date from the first half of the 15th century. In 1590 the walls are replaced with earthen mounds with
bastionA bastion is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defense against assaulting troops...
s after a design by Adriaen Anthonisz. Muiden was the northern end of the
Dutch Water LineThe Dutch Water Line was a series of water based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau in the early 17th century, and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry...
.
Developments in warfare during the
Franco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between France and Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and Bavaria...
of 1870 prompted another round of upgrades and the construction of forts part of the
Stelling van AmsterdamThe UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defense line of Amsterdam is a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam, consisting of 42 forts located between 10 to 15 kilometers the centre, and lowlands that can easily be flooded in time of war...
, which includes the Muizenfort, the barracks on the Vestingplein, and the
casemateA casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
s in the
ravelinA ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork in front of the bastions of a fortress. Originally called a demi-lune, after lunette, the ravelin is placed outside a castle opposite a fortification curtain. The edges of the ravelin are placed so that the guns there can sweep fire upon...
s. The layout of the fortification wall was revised.
Fort Pampus Island, part of municipality Muiden, was built from 1887 to 1897. Together with the lighthouse island near
DurgerdamDurgerdam is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Amsterdam, and lies about 7 km east of the city centre, along the dyke of the IJsselmeer....
and the
artillery batteryIn military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
at the Diemer seawall, it was meant to protect the entrance of the
IJ BayThe IJ is a river, formerly a bay, in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is known for being Amsterdam's waterfront. The name derives from the generic Germanic term for "water" and is similar to other Aa/Ee names for bodies of water...
and the harbour of Amsterdam.
More historical, recreational and tourist information on
Muiden travel guide on Wikitravel.com.
Attractions
- Muiderslot
The Muiderslot is a castle in the Netherlands, located at the mouth of the river Vecht, some 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, in Muiden, where it flows into what used to be the Zuiderzee...
(Muider Castle), a well preserved castle from the Middle Ages
- Muizenfort, (Mice Fort) a 19th century fortification part of the Stelling van Amsterdam
The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defense line of Amsterdam is a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam, consisting of 42 forts located between 10 to 15 kilometers the centre, and lowlands that can easily be flooded in time of war...
- Pampus Island, an artificial island also part of the Stelling van Amsterdam
Various regional walking and cycling routes pass Muiden. More recreational and tourist information on *
Gunpowder factory
In 1702 the hazardous production of
gunpowderGunpowder, also called black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. It burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks. The term gunpowder also refers broadly to any...
was removed from the city of Amsterdam. The
vroedschapThe vroedschap was the name for the city council in the early modern Netherlands; the member of such a council was called a vroedman, literally a "wise man"...
of Muiden granted a permit to Reinier van Cuyk of Amsterdam to built a gunpowder mill just west of Muiden that same year.
The factory flourished during the First World War, was
liquidatedIn law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation can also be referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
in 1919, and was restarted in 1922. During the 20th century its production steadily increased and the town grew towards the factory. In 1972 it was renamed "Muiden Chemie". In the 1980s, it was accused of illegal shipments to Iran. In 1990 Muiden Chemie went bankrupt and was taken over by Britse Royal Ordnance, part of
British AerospaceBritish Aerospace was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. In 1999 it purchased Marconi Electronic Systems, the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc, to form BAE Systems....
. After a fire in 2001 and ongoing concerns over safety, it was decided to close the factory permanently.
Explosions since 1883 :
- January 9, 1883: explosion on the factory premises, resulting in 13 deaths and much damage to the factory and Muiden.
- 1886: explosion, 2 deaths. Destroyed a part of the factory.
- 1924/1925: several explosions, 1 death.
- January 17, 1947: explosion of collected grenades on the factory premises, 17 deaths and much damage in Muiden.
- 1948: a grenade exploded, 1 death.
- 1949: explosion in a powder mill, 1 death.
- June 13, 1963: explosion in the storage depot, no casualties.
- June 2, 1966: explosion in the TNT factory, many injuries and much damage in Muiden.
- December 8, 1972: explosion in drying chamber, 2 deaths, much damage in Muiden.
- May 30, 1983: explosion, 3 deaths.
- September 9, 1983: explosion, 1 death.
- August 20, 2001: fire in packing materials storage, no explosions, no casualties.
Local government
The municipal council of Muiden consists of 13 seats, which are divided as follows:
- CDA
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a center-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. The party is currently the biggest coalition partner in the fourth Balkenende cabinet.-History before 1977:...
- 2 seats
- D66
Democrats 66 is a Dutch progressive, social-liberal and radical democratic political party.- Overview :...
- 1 seat
- PvdA
The Dutch Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the Dutch general election, 2003, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands...
- 4 seats
- VIB- 3 seats
- VVD
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a Dutch liberal political party. The VVD is the most vocal supporter of private enterprise in the Netherlands although supportive of the welfare state and is often perceived as a more economically liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal D66...
- 3 seats