Uithoorn

History

The name De Uithoorn (or De Uythoorn) was used at the end of the Middle Ages for the location of the lower courts of the deanery of Saint John. The village formed around its courthouse. People depended on agriculture and animal husbandry. Agriculture became increasingly more difficult due to the steady soil subsidence. From c. 1600 on, peat extraction became important and resulted in the formation of large ponds, which in turn would be made into polders later on. During the Franco-Dutch War in the "disaster year" of 1672, Uithoorn was on the front lines and fortifications were built. During the Batavian Republic period, the neighbouring village of Thamen was merged with Uithoorn. Its economy was limited, but improved in the middle of the 19th century when some industries (including chemical) were established in the area. The reclamation of a few large ponds provided extra agricultural land at the end of the same century. A sulphuric acid plant was established on the banks of the Amstel in 1863, it closed in the early 1900s; in 1922 the site was used for a coal tar processor, Teerbedrijf Uithoorn, later known as Cindu Chemicals. A subsidiary company Nevcin Polymers also operated on the site: both companies were major employers in the town, and also polluters of the air and water bodies. In 1992 a reactor at the Nevcin site exploded, causing three deaths and several injuries. As of 2012 both plants remain in operation. In circa 1885, several fortifications were built around Uithoorn as part of the Stelling van Amsterdam. In 1915, the Bovenkerk – Uithoorn line of the former Haarlemmermeer railway lines reached Uithoorn, near the village centre on the Amstel. Passenger service would end in 1950 and freight service in 1972. Most of the line was scrapped by 1987. The…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  46,440
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  40,981
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  38,652
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,744
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  36,136
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  35,968
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  34,995
• muskrat

  Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Mammalia
  34,589

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2008-10-11
  19 km WNW of Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands
• M 3.7 — 2001-09-12
  54 km WNW of Petten, Netherlands
• M 3.4 — 2001-09-10
  10 km W of Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands
• M 3.8 — 2001-09-09
  7 km W of Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands