VEENENDAAL  

 

                                                                                       
                                                         "Veenendaal" is situated in central Holland.

 

It has been only as of 1795 that Veenendaal became an independant municipality. So rather late. Yet, throught the centuries it has been an industrious place. Back in 1473, the bishop David of Burgundy has directed to dig a canal. That canal became the supply route to and from Veenendaal and it was used for trading the peat. The peat has been the most important source of income and thus has become the basis for the origin and further development of Veenendaal.
                     
 
 
 Where is the name Veenendaal derived from ?
The name "Venendael" for the first time appears in 1566 when auxiliary bishop Johannes Knijff of Groningen mentions the ordination of the Church of Saint Salvator (currently known as the "Old Church" on the market in Veenendaal) in a document with the words : "Consecravimus Ecclesiam in Venendael" .
 
                            The oldest church in town (1566).
                     It starts as the Roman Catholic Church (RK).
       After years it went over to the Dutch Reformed Church (NHK).
      Since May 2004 it's the Protestant Church in Netherland (PKN)
      So, that Dutch Reformed Church (NHK) doesn't exist anymore !
 

Although until the beginning of the 20th century peat has been cut and scooped out, the production became less important over the years. One can suppose that the peat fields already in 1653 lost their economical importance.

  

Peatculture and home industry.
In the Veenendaal area sheep have been kept. It cannot be a surprise that the people got involved in washing, combing and spinning the wool. What started as home industry later became an industry of national importance. The little statue "De wolkammer (= the wool comber) on the Market reminds us of that time. In the 19th century Dirk Steven van Schuppen started the wool washing, combing and spinning in an industrial way. Along with the textile industry, in the 20th century the processing of tabacco became an important means of existence. Over decades Veenendaal has been mentioned in geography books for its textile and tabacco industry.

 

The "Grift"
     Then          Now
To-day the "Grift" is the historical witness of the past. However, only a little part is left of the original canal. Due to the pollution a major part of the Grift � between �Valleistraat� and �Het Panhuis� has been filled up.

The canal, currently in the city centre, is the �Omleidingskanaal� ( redirection canal) and follows a different route. The �Omleidingskanaal� has been dug around 1860 ( as part of a defence line) and as such it follows a different route. Both ends of the �Omleidingskanaal� connect to the original course of the Grift.

 

The town Arms.
      On September 11th, 1816 the High Council of Nobility, assigned Veenendaal the current Town Arms. The description is as follows: "being lazulite, with a ship under full sails of gold".
This does not explain how a fully rigged three master made it to the Town�s Arms. The most propable explanation is that the first local authorities of the municipality considered the little peat ship as insignea of its predecessor the Peat Council not representative for the municipality�s dignity.
 

 

The Logo.
 

The meaning of the logo, that has been introduced Feb 1st, 1993 is : a "V" that by its grafical shape represents the bulging sail, that also exists on the Town�s Arms.
 

 

Activity.
The municipality of Veenendaal is active and industrious, and is located in the heart of The Netherlands. Over 60.000 inhabitants, 2524 businesses, 553 shops and many public facilities make sure that Veenendaal continuously moves on.  It is not expected that this comes to an end in the short term. Yearly about 150 new houses are built each year. On the Dutch table of inhabitants Veenendaal takes 52nd place.

 

Geografical position.
Veenendaal is close to the transportation axis A-12, which is the connection between the world famous harbour of Rotterdam, international airport "Schiphol" and economical centres in The Netherlands and Germany.

The town is surrounded by woods, grasslands and small hills. On a short distance from the townborder you can find several beauty nature reserves as the Veluwe, Utrechtse Heuvelrug, Gelderse Vallei and Betuwe. There are 3 railway stations in town, so you can easy reach Veenendaal and the other places mention before by train and busses. Also inside town there are a lot of parks.