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major riversminor rivers and inland waterwaysoldest ciies (11th-12th century)
Amsterdam, Roterdam, The Hague(14th century)
50km
0
AmersfoortUtrecht
AmsterdamHaarlem
Leiden
Den Haag
Dordrecht
’s-HertogenboschBreda
Arnhem
Nijmegen
Deventer
Zwolle
Leeuwarden Groningen
Venlo
Maastricht
Alkmaar
second generaion ciies (13th-14th century)
Largest ciies in 2010 emergednear waterways between 1000 and 1500
Delt
Roterdam
HilversumApeldoorn
Hengelo
Tilburg
Heerlen
Eindhoven
Helmond
EnschedeAmersfoort
Utrecht
AmsterdamHaarlem
Leiden
Den Haag
Dordrecht
’s-HertogenboschBreda
Arnhem
Nijmegen
Deventer
Zwolle
LeeuwardenGroningen
Venlo
Maastricht
Alkmaar
Zaanstad
50km
0
newly developed industrial ciiesnewly developed residenial ciiesexsising ciies from the 11th-14th century
railways 1890 (2650 km)railways 1860 (350 km)
railways 1930 (3650 km)
Largest ciies in 2010 developed nearthe railways between 1850 and 1950
Delt
Roterdam
Sitard-Geleen
Amsterdam
Leeuwarden
Zwolle
Amersfoort
Alkmaar
’s-Hertogenbosch
Venlo
Utrecht
NijmegenDordrecht
Maastricht
Deventer
LeidenDen Haag
Haarlem
Groningen
Arnhem
Breda
HilversumApeldoorn
Hengelo
Tilburg
Heerlen
Eindhoven
Helmond
EnschedeZoetermeer
Almere
Emmen
Ede
Zaanstad
Haarlemmermeer
50km
0
built-up areas 1900built-up areas 1950built-up areas 2010
motorways 1990 (2200 km)motorways 1960 (350 km)
motorways 2010 (2450 km)
Largest ciies in 2010 developed nearmotorways between 1950 and 2010
Delt
Roterdam
Sitard-Geleen
50km
0
The thirty-five ciies and their landscape seingfive groups based on city-forming and spaial planning
oldest ciies (11th - 12th century)second generaion ciies (13th - 14th century)Amsterdam, Roterdam, The Hague (14th century)
residenial ciies (19th - 20th century)industrial ciies (19th - 20th century)
dunes and beach-ridgessea clayriver claypeat moors
loesssand
river terracespolders/reclaimed land
Amsterdam
Leeuwarden
Zwolle
Amersfoort
Alkmaar
’s-Hertogenbosch
Venlo
Utrecht
NijmegenDordrecht
Maastricht
Deventer
LeidenDen Haag
Haarlem
Groningen
Arnhem
Breda
HilversumApeldoorn
Hengelo
Tilburg
Heerlen
Eindhoven
Helmond
EnschedeZoetermeer
Almere
Emmen
Ede
Zaanstad
Haarlemmermeer
DeltRoterdam
Sitard-Geleen
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
pre-urban
city formation and
�rst prime
prime during
Dutch Golden Age
(no expansion)
stagnaion
revival and
expansion
post-war expansion
Delft
View of Delft from the north, Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom, 1615-1634 Prinsenhof Delft
In the foreground the canal stands out that was the lifeline of the town for centuries: the connection
between Delft and the Vliet canal. In the city itself we can distinguish the following buildings: from
left to right, the Oude Kerk (Old Church), the tower of City Hall and the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church).
Hengelo
Hengelo south of the railway, around 1939 Aviodrome, Lelystad
The three characteristic features of industrial Hengelo captured in one image:
the railroads with the station, the Stork factories and tuindorp (garden city)
’t Lansink.
pre-urban (village)
post-war expansion
1000
1100
1200
1300
1400
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
booming industrial city
restructuring of industry
www.thoth.nl
Jaap Evert Abrahamse1, Menne Kosian
1 and Reinout Rutte
2
The Atlas of Urbanization in the Netherlands
The Netherlands have been an urbanized country since the Middle Ages. Over the last ten centuries a dense pattern of
small, large, old and new towns emerged. How did this pattern develop and why do our towns look as they do?
From Friesland to Limburg, and from Groningen to Zeeland, dozens of towns were built during the Middle
Ages, most of them along rivers and main waterways. When the Dutch Republic became a world power in
the Dutch Golden Age, large extensions were realized in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Leiden. After a period
of economic recession in the 18th century, the industrialisation caused some of these cities to prosper again
from 1850 onwards. This not only led to a rapid growth of existing cities, but also to the emergence of new
cities. Industrial centres like Tilburg and Hengelo and residential towns like Apeldoorn and Hilversum sprang
up along the newly developed railways. Built under state control, new cities like Almere, Emmen and
Zoetermeer emerged in the 20th century. In the post-war welfare state motorways, residential areas and in-
dustrial estates were laid out over the country at unprecedented speed.
The Atlas of Urbanization in the Netherlands provides the first national overview of 1000 years of urban
development. Its basis lies in an analysis of the 35 largest cities in the present-day Netherlands. By means
of photographs, paintings and newly developed maps the growth and shrinkage of the Dutch cities is shown.
1 Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
P.O. Box 1600, 3800 BP Amersfoort, The Netherlands
2 Delft University of Technology - Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment
P.O. Box 5043, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherlands
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