Veenendaal

Sister cities

• Olomouc

History

The original village was founded in the middle of the 16th century as a peat colony from which it got its name. Veen is the Dutch word for fen and daal for dale. The village was administratively part of two nearby towns, which were themselves part of two different provinces of the Dutch Republic. The southern half belonged to Rhenen in Utrecht, the northeastern half to Ede in Guelders. In 1795, with the arrival of French troops in the country and inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution, the citizens declared their independence. When turmoil of the Napoleonic era was settled and the Netherlands was reformed as a monarchy, only the southern part would retain its independence. In the 19th century, wool and tobacco industry became Veenendaal's largest source of income. Big factories dominated the otherwise small rural town. In 1855, Veenendaal was hit by a flood, which caused many residents to flee to Utrecht. A monument was erected near the railway station. In 1960 the northern part of town, still controlled by Ede, was merged with the self-governing part of town. Further lands of Rhenen and also Renswoude were ceded to allow for new housing developments. The population grew rapidly from about 10,000 in the 1920s, to 23,000 in 1960, to the 68,000+ inhabitants of today. In 1997 the town was elected the greenest city in Europe and in 2004 of the Netherlands. Like most Dutch cities, Veenendaal is well adapted to the high number of cyclists. A large network of bike paths make it convenient to cycle to various destinations and within the town, the bike is a popular mean of transportation. In 2000 and 2020, Veenendaal was chosen as Fietsstad of the year, recognised as being the top city for cycling in the Netherlands.