Dordrecht

Dordrecht ( listen^{? /i}) is a city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland, on the island of the same name. It is located about twenty kilometres southeast of Rotterdam. Its total area is 99.47 km², but more than a fifth of this (20.86 km²) is water area. The population on 1 January 2021 was 119,111 inhabitants, according to CBS data. Dordrecht is thus the fifth largest city in the province. Around it, the Beneden Merwede arm of the Rhine divides into the Noord Canal, the Oude Maas and the Dordtsche Kil. This "three rivers corner" in the north of the city is one of the busiest waterways in the Netherlands.

The urban area covers the whole of Dordrecht Island, while the core area of the city is in the northwest.

In addition to shipyards, there are wood and metal processing industries as well as a small seaport in the city.

The town lies on the German-Dutch holiday route Oranier-Route.

History

Dordrecht received its city charter in 1220, making it the oldest city in former Holland (but not in the Netherlands). In 1421, the Saint Elizabeth flood flooded large parts of South Holland, making Dordrecht an island. The strategically valuable location of the town, which also had a stacking right, made it an important stacking market and trading centre from about 1299. Trade goods in the place were wine, wood and grain. The Hanseatic League knew how to put the trading centre of Bruges with the location of Dordrecht under political pressure successfully on several occasions.

On July 15/16, 1572, representatives of most of the cities of the Netherlands met in Dordrecht, in the building "Het Hof". There they made William of Orange their leader and declared their independence from Spain. This Dordrecht Assembly of Estates thus marked the beginning of the Dutch struggle for independence. In 1618/1619, an important religious meeting of the two Reformed churches of the Netherlands was held in Dordrecht as the Dordrecht Synod to deliberate on the Statenvertaling, the first Dutch translation of the Bible. It was opened and closed by the Dordrecht preacher Balthasar Lydius. In 1632, a synod called by the Dutch Mennonites adopted the Dordrecht Confession. In the 18th century the importance of Dordrecht decreased considerably in favour of Rotterdam.

Throughout the centuries, Dordrecht has occupied a key position in the defence of Holland. Until well into the 20th century, Dordrecht was a garrison town. Pioneers were stationed in the Benthienkazerne along the Oude Maas. During the mobilization in August 1939, crews were sent to Dordrecht to defend the island. During the German occupation, the Flußräumflottile Niederlande was stationed in Nieuwe Hafen from 1941 to 1945. Also during the Second World War, Dordrecht and its surroundings became the centre of the battles in the winter of 1944/1945. The border between liberated and occupied territory was then at Hollands Diep. In 1970, Dordrecht incorporated the previously independent village of Dubbeldam, as well as the part of the (preserved) municipality of Sliedrecht located on the island of Dordrecht.

Joan Blaeu: Dordrecht 1652

Politics

Allocation of seats in the municipal council

The March 21, 2018 local elections resulted in the following distribution of seats:

Party	Seats
	2006	2010	2014	2018
Beter Voor Dordt	6	15	14	8
VVD	6	5	3	5
CDA	4	3	4	4
D66	1	2	4	4
GroenLinks	3	3	2	4
ChristenUnie/SGP	3	3	3	4
PVV	- —	- —	- —	3
SP	- —	- —	3	2
Verenigde Seniors Partij	2	2	2	2
PvdA	12	6	4	2
Gewoon Dordt	- —	- —	- —	1
Dordtse Partij	- —	- —	- —	0
Blanco Lijst	- —	- —	- —	0
WEK Dordrecht	- —	- —	0	- —
Eco-Dordt	2	- —	- —	- —
Total	39	39	39	39

Mayor

Since 13 September 2017, Wouter Kolff (VVD) is the acting mayor of the municipality. His colleagues include the aldermen Piet Sleeking (Beter Voor Dordt), Peter Heijkoop (CDA), Rik van der Linden (ChristenUnie/SGP), Marco Stam (Beter Voor Dordt), Maarten Burggraaf (VVD).

Twinning

Dordrecht is twinned with the following cities:

• Germany Recklinghausen, Germany, since 1974
• United Kingdom Hastings, United Kingdom
• Bulgaria Varna, Bulgaria
• Cameroon Bamenda, Cameroon
• Sudafrika Dordrecht, South Africa

Coat of arms

	Blasoning: "On the red shield with the white pole rests a golden crown. Shield holders are two golden griffins with silver claws."