Katwijk aan den Rijn

Geschiedenis

Note: parts of this article have been translated from the Dutch version of this page.Katwijk aan den Rijn (Katwijk on the Rhine) is a population centre in the municipality of Katwijk in the province of South Holland, in The Netherlands, with approximately 6020 inhabitants. Katwijk aan den Rijn lies between Katwijk aan Zee, Valkenburg and Rijnsburg. It actually forms a unit with all of these other centres.HistoryKatwijk aan den Rijn is located near the mouth of the Oude Rijn. The village's name first appeared in the official documents in 1231. At that time, Floris IV, Count of Holland, had his residence there. The village itself had been established about a century earlier. In 1388 the village lost its fish market to the growing village of Katwijk aan Zee. The two places then were within the same seigniory (heerlijkheid). In the early days, Katwijk aan Zee was a fishing village while Katwijk aan den Rijn was more agricultural. Initially the two villages were separate, but over the course of time, they grew and eventually merged.Katwijk aan den Rijn todayThe municipal government house is now located in Katwijk aan de Rijn, on the border with Katwijk aan Zee. De Molenwijk in Katwijk aan den Rijn, with many flats or apartments, was greatly changed in the 1980s. Many old flats were demolished and a new flat, the Molenburgh, was built, as well as many single-family homes. A number of flats were also renovated, such as the flat on Tulpstraat (Tulip Street) with a number of shops at ground level including the well-known café, the Wachtje (little sentry or look-out). The district Cleijn Duin, according to the municipality of Katwijk, also lies in Katwijk aan den Rijn, although common opinion is divided. The highway N206 was often seen as the dividing line between Katwijk aan Zee and Katwijk aan den Rijn.