THE NETHERLANDS : GOUDA
Count Floris V gave Gouda city rights in
1275. Because of its strategic
position at the river Gouwe and the IJsel, Gouda developed into a
thriving
trade centre during the 15th century, with the focus of its
trade lying on beer and cloth production. During the 80 years war Gouda
became politically and economically isolated, but recovered in the 17th
century due to new industries and trades such as
cheese-making, pipe-making and the production of wax
candles.
For many hundreds of years Gouda has served as a market town for the
region, formerly trading in many arable products and also serving as a
large cheese trading centre.Today, Gouda still has
weekly markets
which have an abundant supply of
various foods, household products and materials, along with an
interesting range of shops that attract thousands of people from the
local region, plus another half a million tourists a year.
The
weekly cheese market around the Market square is organized from June to
September on Thursday mornings. Gouda is famous for its
round yellow cheese
wich the Dutch consume in large quantities, whether as "jong" (young
creamy cheese), "belegen" (matured for four months), "oud" (old, 10
months), or "overbelegen" (a crumbly old cheese). Another of the
typical products of Gouda are the "Goudse Stroopwafels", thin syrupy
waffles.
Gouda has over 300 historic buildings,
with a beautiful
Gothic Town hall
that elegantly stands in the centre of the market place. It dates
from 1450 and is one of the oldest town halls in The Netherlands.
Especially beautiful is the
St.John's Church
from the 16th century with its splendid stained glass windows.
History of Gouda
The area were now Gouda lies, was still
covered with swamps and wet land around the year 1000. One of the most
important rivers cutting through that area was the "Gouwe" river.
Alongside its banks the first settlers came to live during the 11th and
12th centuries. Most people came to built a house around the fortified
castle of the familyu "Van der Goude" (close to the present St. John's
church). The small city began to grow and named itself Gouda" (after the
"Van der Goude" family).
Around 1225 the Gouwe river was connected
with the Old Rhine through a new canal. The estuary of the Gouwe in the
IJsel river was transformed into a harbour, which attracted more and
more traders (navigating between Flanders-France on the one hand, and
Holland and the Baltic area on the other hand).
Gouda was chartered in 1272 and the
counts brought their tollhouse right to the city. By then the Van der
Goude family had disappeared and had been replaced by the lords of
Beaumont, who built a new and imposing castle on the banks of the IJsel
in 1361. Already around 1350 the city had expanded to its maximum and
fortified walls were constructed. Although fires (1361) and the plague
(1438) did not spare the city, Gouda continued to thrive.
The plague inspired the god-fearing
people of Gouda to build numerous convents and chapels. In the 15th
century Gouda was rich, ranked among the five most important cities of
Holland and was as large as Amsterdam. One of the most famous sons of
Gouda was the 16th century humanist Desiderius Erasmus. He was born here
and received his education here.
Gouda developed into a thriving
trade centre during the 15th century, with the focus of its
trade lying on beer and cloth production. During the 80 years war Gouda
became politically and economically isolated, but recovered in the 17th
century due to new industries and trades such as cheese-making, pipe-making and the production of wax
candles.
Gouda had always remained an industrial
beehive. Some of the most important products to come from here are :
candles, soap, sirup, yarn, rope, machines, terra cotta pots, pipes,
etc.....
