Papenveer is a small village in the Dutch

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...

 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 is located in the municipality of Nieuwkoop

Nieuwkoop

Nieuwkoop is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality was enlarged on January 1, 2007, through the amalgamation of Liemeer and Ter Aar....

, 2 km north of Ter Aar

Ter Aar

Ter Aar is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is located about 6 km northeast of Alphen aan den Rijn. The town had a population of 9,007 on 1 July 2006....

.

The name "Papenveer" means "Catholics' ferry". When the Catholic Church in Korteraar closed in 1822, churchgoers had to cross the river De Aar to go to the church in Langeraar

Langeraar

Langeraar is a village in the community of Nieuwkoop, which is located in the Nederlandse province of Zuid-Holland. The village has 2310 inhabitants ....

. A ferry was opened that was free for Catholics; everyone else had to pay. The village of Papenveer grew around this ferry. Currently, there is a bridge, the Papenveerse Brug, at the location of the former ferry.