Nijkerk
Nijkerk is a municipality and a city located in the middle of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland.
Population centres
Some people state that Groot Corlaer is a population centre on his own, but officially it's part of the city of NijkerkTransportation
Railway station: NijkerkThe city of Nijkerk
The name Nijkerk stems from Nieuwe Kerk. This new church was built after the old chapel had been destroyed by fire in 1221. Nijkerk was strategically located between the Duchy of Guelders and the Bishopric of Utrecht. Because of this strategic location Nijkerk regularly was the scene of war, and in 1412 the village was completely destroyed. It was restored and Nijkerk received city rights in 1413. In 1421 the church that gave Nijkerk its name burnt down and was replaced; this happened several times, until a new church was built in the 18th century which still stands today. The organ in this church was built in 1756.In the 18th century Nijkerk was a flourishing merchant city. Several inhabitants traveled to the New World, such as Arent van Curler and Kiliaen van Rensselaer and founded new cities.
Since World War II, Nijkerk has been growing fast. It is situated on the shore of the IJsselmeer, which allows for transportation of goods via ships, and in the proximity of two major motorways, the E30 and E232. This allowed local industries to grow, and also encouraged a lot of people who work in the nearby Randstad to move to the more rural and peaceful town of Nijkerk. The easy access to the Veluwe is also a contributing factor to this growth.
Politics
In 2000, the municipalities of Nijkerk and Hoevelaken merged to form the new municipality of Nijkerk.On August 24, 2011, the municipality announced that Nijkerk had passed the mark of 40,000 inhabitants. The city council was consequently expanded to 27 seats for the 2014 election.
Currently the seats are divided as follows:
| Party | Number of seats |
| CDA | 8 |
| Christian Union and SGP | 6 |
| VVD | 4 |
| Progressief 21 | 5 |
| Lokale Partij | 4 |
Progressief 21 is a local party combining the local chapters of the Democrats 66, GroenLinks and the Labour Party. The last two parties are local parties that have no national connection.
Geography
Climate
Notable residents
- Kiliaen van Rensselaer, merchant and Hudson Valley patroon
- Wouter van Twiller the Director of New Netherland 1632 to 1638.
- Arent van Curler, founder of Schenectady, New York
- Johann Frederik Eijkman a Dutch chemist
- James Kwast, pianist and teacher
- Christiaan Eijkman a Dutch physician and professor of physiology, received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1929 for the discovery of vitamins
- Jakob van Domselaer a composer, part of De Stijl with Piet Mondrian
- Bernardus Johannes Alfrink, Cardinal, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht
- Henri Nouwen a Catholic priest, professor, writer and theologian
- Kees de Kort an artist, illustrates Bible scenes for children's books.
- Norbert Klein a Dutch politician, lives in Hoevelaken
- Levi van Veluw a Dutch contemporary artist using photographs, videos and sculptures
Sport
- Brigitte van der Lans a Dutch former backstroke swimmer, competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Bram van Polen a Dutch footballer, 385 caps with PEC Zwolle
- Scott Deroue a Dutch motorcycle racer.
- Donny van de Beek a Dutch professional footballer.
Twin town
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Schenectady,