Alphen aan den Rijn
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 52°08′N 4°39′E / 52.13, 4.65
Country	Netherlands
Province	South Holland
Area (2006)
- Total	57. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands South Holland ( Dutch:) is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 68 km² (22. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 3 sq mi)
- Land	55. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 06 km² (21. 3 sq mi)
- Water	2. 61 km² (1 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2007)
- Total	71,004
- Density	1,290/km² (3,341. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 1/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline. Statistics Netherlands, founded in 1899, is a Dutch governmental institution that gathers statistical information about the Netherlands.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Alphen aan den Rijn (population: 70,927 in 2006) is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, between Leiden and Utrecht. Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time Daylight saving time ( DST Central European Summer Time ( CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands South Holland ( Dutch:) is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. "Leyden" redirects here For other uses see Leyden (disambiguation. Utrecht ( city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. The town is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the river Gouwe branches off. For the Oude Rijn branch in Gelderland Province see Oude Rijn (Gelderland. The Gouwe is a channelized river in South Holland, the Netherlands The municipality covers an area of 57. 68 km² (22. 27 mile²) of which 2. 61 km² (1. 01 mile²) is water. It also contains the remnants of a Roman castellum. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC A castellum is a small Roman detached Fort or fortlet used as a watch tower or signal station

The municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn also includes the communities of Aarlanderveen and Zwammerdam. Aarlanderveen ( is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. Zwammerdam ( is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. The town is located in what is called the 'Green Heart' of the Netherlands, which is a somewhat less densely populated center area of the Randstad. ImageRandstad_with_scalepng|400px|thumb|right|Schematic map of the Randstadcircle 528 380 26 Schiphol rect 426 356 498 436 Haarlemmermeer rect 399 166 479 245

The name "Alphen" is probably derived from the name of the Roman castellum Albanianae, meaning "settlement at the white water".

History

The area around Alphen aan den Rijn has been inhabited for 2000 years. In the Roman era, the Oude Rijn was the main branch of the Rhine River and formed the north border of the Roman Empire. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Since the rule of Emperor Claudius (41-54 CE), divisions of the Roman army were stationed here. Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I ( August 1, 10 BC &ndash October 13, AD 54 ( Tiberius Claudius Drusus from birth to Consequently, several Roman fortifications were located along the Oude Rijn, including castellum Albanianae in the centre of Alphen. The Romans had also built the first bridge over the Oude Rijn. Alphen was therefore an important commercial site in the area until Germanic raids ended that in 240 CE.

After recurring problems with flooding, especially in Utrecht and Leiden, the Oude Rijn was dammed at Wijk bij Duurstede in 1122, thereby making the Lek River the main branch of the Rhine. Wijk bij Duurstede is a Municipality and a City in the central Netherlands. The Lek is a River in the western Netherlands of some 60 km in length The Oude Rijn has not flooded since. During the Middle Ages, Alphen was a fiefdom called Alphen en Rietveld. Under the system of Feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud, feoff, or fee, often consisted of inheritable lands or revenue-producing

The vertical lift bridge over the Gouwe River was built in the 1930s. A vertical lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of Movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck

In the 17th century, Alphen became prominent again as a hub for commerce. The Oude Rijn was used for boat traffic; there are still portions along the river where the towpath is present. A towpath is a Road or Trail on the bank of a River, Canal, or other inland waterway

The current municipality was formed in 1918 through the amalgamation of the smaller municipalities of Alphen, Aarlanderveen, and Oudshoorn. Alphen was a municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. Aarlanderveen ( is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. Oudshoorn is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland. In 1964, the municipality of Zwammerdam was added as well.

During the Second World War, the majority of Jews from Alphen were deported and subsequently murdered, only a few survived. After the war, the Jewish congregation was disbanded and merged with the one in Leiden.

Since 1950, the city began to grow rapidly. A large new neighbourhood was built on the north side. And since the 1990s, a similar new development was built at the city's south side. Now Alphen aan den Rijn is mostly a commuter city. Commuting is the process of Travelling between one's place of residence and regular place of work

Monumental clocktower in Alphen aan den Rijn.

The renewed Julianastreet facing the "Rijnplein" public square.

During the past five years, a large part of the town centre has undergone a full urban renewal. Many older buildings built in the 1950s and earlier have been demolished to make place for modern architecture. The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation This "masterplan" includes the addition of a new public square next to the riverbank, the construction of a performing arts theatre/cinema, an upgrade of local shops and the creation of pedestrian streets. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Cinemaaustraliajpg|thumb|A movie theater in Australia ]]A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre or cinema is a venue Car-free zones (also known as auto-free zones and pedestrian zones) are areas of a city or town in which automobile traffic is prohibited As of 2006, all of these projects have been finished. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Tourism

Alphen aan den Rijn has the following attractions:

• Avifauna Bird Park - the world's first bird park, opened in 1950.
• Archeon - a theme park about Dutch History, with 43 replica buildings from prehistoric, Roman, and Medieval eras. A replica is a copy that is relatively indistinguishable from the original It opened in 1994.
• Zegersloot Recreation Park - park with an artificial lake, popular for hiking, cycling, windsurfing, and water skiing.

Events

• 20 van Alphen, International 20 kilometers run. Held every year (since 1952) on the 2^nd Sunday of March. The 2006 event was marked by a world record when Haile Gebrselassie posted a time of 1 hour 11 minutes 37 seconds for 25k. Haile Gebrselassie ( Ge'ez: ኃይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ haylē gebre silassē; born April 18 1973 is an Ethiopian long distance track This was his 22^nd world record breaking performance.
• Year market, 3^th Wednesday in September. Regional products.
• Old timer day, 2^nd Saturday of September. Old cars, tractors, steam engines.
• LAURA, Four days bicycle event Leiden, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Alphen aan den Rijn which is the start and finish place, is held the first week of July.

Public transportation

Notable natives

• J. Bodegraven (population 19478 in 2004 is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. C. Bloem (1887-1966), poet
• Petrus Wernink (1895-1971), sailor
• Matthijs van Heijningen (born 1944), film producer
• Wouter van Pelt (born 1968), hockey player
• Arjan van Heusden (born 1972), footballer
• Evert-Jan 't Hoen (born 1975), baseball player
• Wilbert Pennings (born 1975), high jumper
• Jeannette Pennings (born 1977), athlete
• John Heitinga (born 1983), footballer

External links

• Official website
• Basic data
• Map