Leusden

Leusden
Municipality

From left to right; Highrise building, Park Wildenburg, St. Jozefkerk, Kooikersgracht, Residential tower, Biezenkamp

Flag

Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Leusden in a municipal map of Utrecht
Location in Utrecht
Coordinates: 52°8′N 5°26′E / 52.133°N 5.433°E / 52.133; 5.433Coordinates: 52°8′N 5°26′E / 52.133°N 5.433°E / 52.133; 5.433
Country Netherlands
Province Utrecht
Government[1]
  Body Municipal council
  Mayor Annemieke Vermeulen (VVD)
Area[2]
  Total 58.89 km2 (22.74 sq mi)
  Land 58.63 km2 (22.64 sq mi)
  Water 0.26 km2 (0.10 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 3 m (10 ft)
Population (May 2014)[4]
  Total 29,005
  Density 495/km2 (1,280/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Leusdenaar
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 3830–3835
Area code 033
Website www.leusden.nl
Dutch Topographic map of Leusden, June 2015

Leusden (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈløːzdə(n)]) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is located about 3 kilometres southeast of Amersfoort.

The western part of the municipality lies on the slopes of the Utrecht Hill Ridge and is largely covered by forest and heathlands. The eastern parts lie in the Gelderse Vallei and are mostly agricultural.

Population centres

Map of the municipality, with towns and villages.

The municipality of Leusden contains four villages:

There are also a number of hamlets in the municipality:[5] Asschat, Den Treek, De Ruif, Jannendorp, Musschendorp, Oud-Leusden (formerly named "Leusden"), and Snorrenhoef.

The town of Leusden

The place that is now called Leusden was first mentioned as Villa Lisiduna in a charter in 777. The exact location of that settlement, which is considered to have been a rather extensive farm complex with defenses, is unknown to us. It is possible that the old village of Oud-Leusden once was the location of Villa Lisiduna but excavations in the 1980s have not provided any evidence. However, the church tower of Oud-Leusden is one of the oldest towers in the Netherlands, dating back at least to the 11th century A.D. Close to Leusden is the site of the former monastery Heiligenberg, founded around the year 1000 by bishop Ansfridus of Utrecht, who died here in 1010.

In the 1970s, the agricultural villages of Leusbroek and Hamersveld grew together into to a larger, mainly residential town. What once was Hamersveld is now called Leusden-Centrum, now commonly Leusden, and Leusbroek was to become Leusden-Zuid. In the original plans, Leusden was to grow into a town of around 46,000 inhabitants. After the initial expansion there was a growing resistance from the population, so some of the later phases of expansion have been abandoned.

Shopping Areas

Shopping centre Biezenkamp

In Leusden there are 3 shopping centres:

Notable residents

Image gallery

References

  1. "Burgemeester Vermeulen" [Mayor Vermeulen] (in Dutch). Gemeente Leusden. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten" [Key figures for neighbourhoods]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  3. "Postcodetool for 3831NA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  5. ANWB, "Topografische atlas Nederland 1:50000", 2005. Cartography by the Topografische Dienst, Emmen.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 09, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.