Muiden

History

The first known reference to Muiden is from 953 when Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, granted the settlement and its toll rights to the Cathedral of Saint Martin, Utrecht. It was called Amuda, meaning "mouth of the (river) A". "A" was the old name for the Vecht river. In 1122 Muiden was, together with Utrecht, granted some city rights by Emperor Henry V. After the lands around Muiden were given to Count Floris V, he began building Muider Castle at the mouth of the Vecht river. Muiden once again received city rights in 1296. The first defensive works date from the first half of the 15th century. In 1590 the walls were replaced with earthen mounds with bastions after a design by Adriaen Anthonisz. Muiden was the northern end of the Dutch Water Line. In 1673 the sea lock in the Vecht river was relocated from Fort Hinderdam to Muiden and in 1676 it was expanded with a sea wall along the Vecht mouth to prevent flooding. Developments in warfare during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 prompted modernisation, with the construction of forts, part of the Stelling van Amsterdam, which included the Muizenfort, the barracks on the Vestingplein, and the casemates in the ravelins. The layout of the fortification wall was revised. Fort Pampus Island, part of the former municipality of Muiden, was built from 1887 to 1897. Together with the lighthouse island near Durgerdam and the artillery battery at the Diemer seawall, it was meant to protect the entrance of the IJ Bay and the harbour of Amsterdam.

Geography

The former municipality of Muiden had two population centers: Muiden and Muiderberg.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  50,832
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50,334
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  47,179
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  46,196
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  42,982
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  42,126
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  39,054
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  38,768

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2011-09-08
  3 km ENE of Heijen, Netherlands
• M 2.9 — 2008-10-11
  19 km WNW of Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands