Misplaced Pages

#659340

40-557: Hilversum ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɪlvərsʏm] ) is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland , Netherlands . Located in the heart of the Gooi , it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland , woods , meadows , lakes and smaller towns. Hilversum is part of the Randstad , one of the largest conurbations in Europe , and

80-402: A gunman carrying a false pistol stormed into Nederlandse Omroep Stichting 's headquarters, demanding airtime on the evening news. There is the large Catholic neo-gothic St. Vitus church ( P.J.H. Cuypers , 1892, bell tower 96 metres; 315'). The city played host to many landscape artists during the 19th century, including Barend Cornelis Koekkoek . In the 1950s and 1960s the city played host to

120-406: A local party of the populist movement called Leefbaar ("liveable") . Founded by former social-democrat Jan Nagel , it was initially held at bay for alderman positions. In 2001, Nagel from Leefbaar Hilversum teamed up with Leefbaar Utrecht leaders to found a national Leefbaar Nederland party. The town has undertaken many improvements, including renovating its central train station, renovation of

160-592: A major European Tennis tournament. The 1958 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Hilversum. In 2020 the international television event Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light was broadcast from Studio 21 in Hilversum's Media Park . This event was held in place of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Hilversum is often called "media city", since it

200-411: A massacre of some 700 inhabitants who had gathered to hear a peace proposal. The Spanish then fired on the assembled citizens, and went on to set fire to the town. A plaque above the lintel of the door and below the eaves commemorates the massacre. In 1615, after the population had reestablished itself, they built the city hall on the site. Part of the building was given over to De Waag (The Scales House),

240-527: A professional transmitter and radio factory in Hilversum in the early 1920s, growing into the largest of its kind in the Netherlands. Following the defeat of Allied forces in the Netherlands in 1940, and its occupation by Nazi Germany , Hilversum became the headquarters of the German Army ( Heer ) in the Netherlands. On February 25 and 26, 1941, most of Hilversum's factories went on strike against

280-525: Is stad (plural: steden ). The intermediate category of town does not exist in Dutch, but provinciestad (small city in the province) comes close. Historically, there existed systems of city rights , granted by the territorial lords, which defined the status of a place: a stad or dorp . Cities were self-governing and had several privileges. In 1851 the granting of city rights and all privileges and special status of cities were abolished. Since then,

320-590: Is also a leisure harbor. Hilversum has a variety of international schools, such as the Violenschool and International School Hilversum "Alberdingk Thijm" . Also, Nike 's, Hunkemöller 's and Converse 's European headquarters are located in Hilversum. Earthenware found in Hilversum gives its name to the Hilversum culture , which is an early- to mid-Bronze Age, or 1800–1200 BC material culture . Artifacts from this prehistoric civilization bear similarities to

360-742: Is called the Great Church or St. Vitus Church. The Great Church ( Grote Kerk ) in Marktstraat dates from the 15th century. Prior to the Protestant Reformation it was named for St. Vitus . It is one of the oldest surviving churches in The Netherlands, having had the good fortune to survive the Spanish invasion of 1572 and the subsequent burning of the town. The church has numerous wooden vaults painted with scenes from

400-473: Is known for its architecturally important Town Hall (Raadhuis Hilversum) , designed by Willem Marinus Dudok and built in 1931. Hilversum has one public library, two swimming pools (Van Hellemond Sport and De Lieberg), several sports halls, and several shopping centers (such as Hilvertshof, Winkelcentrum Kerkelanden, De Riebeeckgalerij, and Winkelcentrum Seinhorst). Locally, the town center is known as het dorp ( Dutch for 'the village'). Hilversum

440-534: Is located in the municipality of Gooise Meren in the west of the Netherlands . It is situated in the Gooi region in the southeast of the province of North Holland . Naarden is the home of the Dutch Fortress Museum ( Nederlands Vestingmuseum ). Naarden hosts the bi-annual Naarden Photo Festival and, on Good Friday , a performance of Bach 's St. Matthew Passion in the local church, which

SECTION 10

#1732765406660

480-755: Is located on the sandy, hilly parts of the Gooi region and has four hills: the Boomberg (closest to the town center); the Trompenberg (now a luxury residential area), the Hoorneboeg (farther to the south), and two kilometers east of there, the Zwaluwenberg (25   m), home to the headquarters of the inspector-general of the armies since 1950. These hills date from the period of the Ice-age , when Hilversum

520-539: Is the principal centre for radio and television broadcasting in the Netherlands, and is home to an extensive complex of radio and television studios and to the administrative headquarters of the multiple broadcasting organizations which make up the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system. Hilversum is also home to many newer commercial TV production companies. Radio Netherlands , which had been broadcasting worldwide via shortwave radio since

560-473: Is the reduction in average family size, with fewer people living in each house; second, the town is virtually unable to expand because much surrounding land was sold by city architect W.M. Dudok to the Goois Natuurreservaat ( nl ); third, the rapid increase in property values forced many people to move to less expensive areas in the Netherlands. Hilversum was one of the first towns to have

600-530: Is well connected to the Dutch railway network, and has three stations. Most local and regional buses are operated by Connexxion , but two of the bus routes are operated by Syntus Utrecht and two others by U-OV and Pouw Vervoer . Regional bus route 320 is operated by both Connexxion and Pouw Vervoer . In 2018, major road works started to make room for a new BRT bus lane from Hilversum to Huizen, set to open in early 2021. The municipal council of Hilversum consists of 37 seats, which are divided as follows since

640-526: The Amsterdam metropolitan area ; it is about 22   km southeast of Amsterdam 's city centre and about 15   km north of Utrecht . The city is home to several major radio, television, and newspaper companies such as Nederlandse Omroep Stichting . Hilversum is thus known for being the mediastad (media city) of the Netherlands. Hilversum lies 24 km (15 mi) south-east of Amsterdam and 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Utrecht . The town

680-534: The Eurovision Song Contest is normally co-ordinated from Hilversum. Hilversum Airport is located in the southwest of the municipality. Next to it is the former Marine Training Camp (MOK), now Corporal Van Oudheusden Barracks for the medical troops. In wartime the airfield was expanded significantly by the German military. They also set up an assembly line for training aircraft, produced by Fokker in Weesp . Hilversum

720-454: The Old and New Testaments . These were hidden for many years and only rediscovered in a recent restoration. The church is the venue for a number of cultural activities such as organ music nights and the bi-annual Naarden Photo festival. The Spanish House ( Spaanse Huis ), situated at Turfpoortstraat 27, was originally a church building converted to house migrants. In 1572 Spanish troops conducted

760-507: The 18th century and today it is smaller than its neighbour Bussum . The city's distinctive shape made it a rallying point for Allied bombers returning to England after raids on Germany. Naarden was a separate municipality until 2015. On 1 January 2016, the municipality of Naarden merged with Muiden and Bussum to form the new municipality of Gooise Meren . The company Stork B.V. had its head office in Naarden. The city of Naarden

800-474: The 1920s, was also based in Hilversum until it was dissolved in 2013. The following is a list of organizations that have, or are continuing to, broadcast from studios in Hilversum: One result of the town's history as an important radio transmission centre is that many older radio sets throughout Europe featured Hilversum as a pre-marked dial position on their tuning scales. Dutch national voting in

840-604: The Dutch rebels, leading them to continue the Dutch War of Independence against Spain. Naarden is an example of a star fort , complete with fortified walls and a moat . The moat and walls have been restored on numerous occasions, most notably during the French era (1795-1814). After the Battle of Leipzig (1813) , the Netherlands were liberated by an allied force of Dutch, Prussian and Russian armies. During this period, Naarden

SECTION 20

#1732765406660

880-531: The Gooi with these rights) and later developed into a fortified garrison town with a textile industry. In 1572, the city was sacked and burnt down, and only 60 people survived the Massacre of Naarden . The massacre was committed by Spanish soldiers against the townspeople of Naarden as part of a punitive expedition against Dutch rebels later known as the Spanish Fury . The destruction of the city galvanized

920-553: The Netherlands is known as Brabantstad , a partnership of the Brabant "Big 5": Eindhoven , Tilburg , Breda , 's-Hertogenbosch and Helmond . In addition, there are several medium-sized cities in the Netherlands without an urban network. Groningen , notably, is a medium-sized city (sixth-largest city in the Netherlands), without an urban network. Naarden Naarden was granted its city rights in 1300 (the only town in

960-510: The Wessex Culture of southern Britain and may indicate that the first Hilversum residents emigrated from that area. The first brick settlements formed around 900, but it was not until 1305 that the first official mention of Hilversum ("Hilfersheem" from "Hilvertshem" meaning "houses between the hills") was found. At that time it was a part of Naarden , the oldest town in the Gooi area. Farming, raising sheep, and wool manufacturing were

1000-437: The last local election of 2022 : After the 2022 elections, the municipal government was made up of aldermen from the political parties Hart voor Hilversum, VVD, GroenLinks and CDA. The mayor is Gerhard van den Top. Hart voor Hilversum, a local party, is the largest group on the council. Originally a part of Leefbaar Hilversum, it separated to form a party called DLPH, which won 1 seat in the 2006 elections. In 2006 leadership

1040-559: The main shopping centre (Hilvertshof), and development of new dining and retail districts downtown including the "vintage" district in the Leeuwenstraat. Several notable architectural accomplishments include the Institute for Sound and Vision , and Zanderij Crailoo ( nl ), the largest man-made wildlife crossing in the world. The nearby Media Park was the scene of the 2002 assassination of politician Pim Fortuyn ; in 2015,

1080-536: The main sources of income for inhabitants of the Gooi region in the Middle Ages. In 1424, Hilversum received its first official independent status. This made further growth possible because permission was no longer needed from neighboring Naarden for new industrial development. The town grew further in the 17th century when the Dutch economy was strong, and several canals were built connecting it indirectly to Amsterdam. In 1725 and 1766 large fires destroyed most of

1120-606: The municipal office entrusted with the verification of weights and measures. The building later served a French garrison as a bakery, turning out over 1000 loaves per day. From 1967 until 1992 it served as the Comenius museum. Today, the historic building serves as the Weegschaal Museum. John Amos Comenius is buried in a mausoleum on Klooster straat. This receives many visitors from the Czech Republic , where he

1160-420: The number of inhabitants or the economic and planological functions within a larger area. Hence, settlements can be considered a city if they function as an urban centre in a rural area; while larger population centres in densely populated areas are often neither considered a village nor a city and are usually referred to with the generic word plaats (place). Inhabitants may also base their choice of words just on

1200-569: The only local administrative unit is the municipality . Regardless of this legal change, many people still use the old city rights as a criterion: certain small settlements proudly call themselves a stad because they historically had city rights, while other, newer towns may not get this recognition. Yet the old and third largest urban center of The Hague, has the status of the seat of the national government, but never received city rights for deliberate historical reasons. Geographers and policy makers can distinguish between places with respect to

1240-499: The start of the Holocaust in the so-called February strike ( Amsterdam Docker's Strike ). Some 10,000 people took part. The Holocaust took the lives of 2,000 Hilversum Jews and the community never fully recovered. Since 2015 there has been an annual remembrance service. Some 50 Hilversummers were awarded the title of Righteous among the nations from Yad Vashem, including Victor Kugler , one of Anne Frank 's helpers. In 1948, NSF

Hilversum - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-531: The subjective way they experience life at a certain place. When discussing cities, the distinction is sometimes made between the cities in two urban networks. The largest urban network is known as Randstad , including the largest four cities in the Netherlands: Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague and Utrecht . Of these, 3 have historic city rights: Utrecht from 1122; Amsterdam from 1306; and Rotterdam from 1340. The second urban network in

1320-435: The textile industry had started its decline; only one factory, Veneta, managed to continue into the 1960s, when it also had to close. Another major industry, the chemical factory IFF, also closed by the end of the 1960s. After the 1960s, the population gradually declined, until stabilising at around 86,000 in 2006 and rising to 90,000 in 2018. Several factors other than the slump in manufacturing contributed to this decline: one

1360-458: The town, leveling parts of the old townhouse and the church next to it. The town overcame these setbacks and the textile industry continued to develop, among other ways by devising a way to weave cows' hair. In the 19th century a substantial textile and tapestry industry emerged, aided by a railway link to Amsterdam in 1874. From that time onward the town grew quickly with wealthy commuters from Amsterdam moving in, building themselves large villas in

1400-450: The wooded surroundings, and gradually starting to live in Hilversum permanently. Despite this growth, Hilversum was never granted city rights so it is still referred to by many locals as "het dorp", or "the village." For the 1928 Summer Olympics in neighboring Amsterdam , it hosted all of the non-jumping equestrian and the running part of the modern pentathlon event. The Nederlandse Seintoestellen Fabriek (NSF) company established

1440-418: Was besieged for months since the French commander didn't believe that Napoleon was captured. In May 1814, the French soldiers left the city in a retreat with honour (see Siege of Naarden (1813–1814) . John Amos Comenius , 17th century Moravian born Czech educator was buried in the city, and his mausoleum is open to visitors. Despite its earlier importance, Naarden's population was surpassed by Hilversum in

1480-595: Was still divided into 4 districts (quarters): the Neuquartier, Groestquartier, Kerkquartier, and the Sandtbergerquartier. The Oude Haven in the southwest is at the end of the Gooische Vaart. The construction of the canal between 's-Graveland and Hilversum was done in stages over 240 years. The canal was completed in 1876. Later, a modern harbor was dug, surrounded by an industrial estate. There

1520-620: Was taken over by Léonie Sazias , a TV celebrity. She later changed the party name to Hart voor Hilversum. They won 3 seats in the 2010 elections, 6 in 2014 and 8 in both 2018 and 2022. Notable people born in Hilversum: List of cities in the Netherlands by province There are no formal rules in the Netherlands to distinguish cities from other settlements. Smaller settlements are usually called dorp , comparable with villages in English speaking countries. The Dutch word for city

1560-417: Was taken over by Philips . However, Dutch radio broadcasting organizations (followed by television broadcasters during the 1950s) centralised their operations in Hilversum, providing a source of continuing economic growth. The concentration of broadcasters in Hilversum has given it its enduring status as the media city for the Netherlands. In 1964, the population reached a record high of over 103,000. However,

1600-1000: Was the southern-most point covered by glaciers . The surrounding towns of Hilversum are Nieuw-Loosdrecht, Bussum, Kortenhoef, Blaricum, Hollandsche Rading, Lage Vuursche, Maartensdijk, 's-Graveland, Laren, Nederhorst den Berg, and Ankeveen. Hilversum consists of the following districts and neighborhoods: Center (Langgewenstbuurt, Sint Vitusbuurt, Havenstraatbuurt, and Centrum), Northwest (Nimrodpark, Trompenberg North, Trompenberg South, Media Park, Raadhuiskwartier, and Boomberg), Northeast (North, Johannes Geradtswegbuurt, Erfgooiersbuurt, and AZC Crailo), East (Geuzenbuurt, Electrobuurt, Astronomiebuurt, Science neighborhood, Kamrad, Kleine Driftbuurt and Liebergen), Southeast (Bloemkwartier Noord, Bloemenkwartier Zuid, Painterskwartier, 't Hoogt van' t Kruis, Arenaparkkwartier and West Indiëkwartier), Zuid (Writerskwartier, Staatsliedenkwartier and Zeeheldenkwartier), Southwest ( Kerkelanden, Havenkwartier, Zeverijn and Het Rode Dorp) and Hilversumse Meent. In 1767, Hilversum

#659340