Westbroek
Encyclopedia
Westbroek is a village in the Dutch
province of Utrecht
. It is a part of the municipality of De Bilt
, and lies about 6 km northwest of Bilthoven.
In 2001, the village of Westbroek had 510 inhabitants. The built-up area of the village was 0.12 km², and contained 178 residences.
The statistical area "Westbroek", which also includes the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside and the village of Achttienhoven
, has a population of around 1300.
Westbroek consists mainly of a ribbon of farms
along a dike. The village is surrounded by a number of polder
s: the Polder Westbroek, the Kerkeindse Polder, and the Polder Achttienhoven in the north, and the Molenpolder and Polder de Kooi in the south. The Molenpolder is a nature reserve.
The church dates from 1467.
On 26 December 1481, Westbroek was the site of a major battle, known as the Battle of Westbroek
, between the armies of the prince-bishopric of Utrecht and Holland, with Holland winning a decisive victory.
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 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 is a part of the municipality of De Bilt
De Bilt
De Bilt is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht.-Population centres :The municipality of De Bilt consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Bilthoven, De Bilt, Groenekan, Hollandsche Rading, Maartensdijk, Westbroek...
, and lies about 6 km northwest of Bilthoven.
In 2001, the village of Westbroek had 510 inhabitants. The built-up area of the village was 0.12 km², and contained 178 residences.
The statistical area "Westbroek", which also includes the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside and the village of Achttienhoven
Achttienhoven (Utrecht)
Achttienhoven is a former hamlet in the municipality of De Bilt, in the Netherlands. It is now considered to be part of the village of Westbroek....
, has a population of around 1300.
Westbroek consists mainly of a ribbon of farms
Ribbon farm
Ribbon farms are long, narrow land divisions, usually lined up along a waterway. In some instances, they line a road.-Description:...
along a dike. The village is surrounded by a number of polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
s: the Polder Westbroek, the Kerkeindse Polder, and the Polder Achttienhoven in the north, and the Molenpolder and Polder de Kooi in the south. The Molenpolder is a nature reserve.
History
Westbroek used to be a separate municipality. It merged into Maartensdijk in 1957, and has been a part of the De Bilt municipality since 2001.The church dates from 1467.
On 26 December 1481, Westbroek was the site of a major battle, known as the Battle of Westbroek
Battle of Westbroek
The Battle of Westbroek was a clash between the armies of the prince-bishopric of Utrecht and the county of Holland. As part of the ongoing war between the nations due to their proximity. This battle occurred on December 26, 1481. The result of the conflict was a victory for Holland....
, between the armies of the prince-bishopric of Utrecht and Holland, with Holland winning a decisive victory.