Spijkenisse

Sister cities

• Hürth

History

Archaeological evidence suggests that the area around Spijkenisse has been inhabited for several thousand years. The area's prehistoric inhabitants depended on fishing in the Maas and hunting in the surrounding swamps for sustenance. The oldest known reference to the name Spickenisse is in a source from 1231. Spijkenisse is a portmanteau of the words (spit) and nesse (nose) meaning "pointy nose." The name is a reference to the settlement's location on a spit of land protruding into the river. Spijkenisse formed as a farming and fishing village on a creek along the Oude Maas. It originally belonged to the Lord of Putten (whose coat of arms is now used by the town) but in 1459 the fiefdom of Putten, including Spijkenisse, was transferred to Philip III, Duke of Burgundy. In 1581, after the Dutch declaration of independence, the area came under the control of the States of Holland and West Friesland. In the 16th century, the village suffered several floods, and endured destructive fires in the following two centuries which hampered its economic growth. In the 20th century Spijkenisse heavily urbanised as part of the Greater Rotterdam area. Contemporary Spijkenisse includes the communities of Hekelingen, Den Hoek, and Beerenplaat.