From exhibition to residential area: the special history of Rokkeveen

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Rokkeveen is one of the largest neighborhoods in Zoetermeer. Although this part of Zoetermeer is still relatively new, it has a long and interesting history. Read on!

In 1987, the first pile of the Rokkeveen district was driven into the ground. This is now one of the largest neighborhoods in Zoetermeer, divided into three parts: Rokkeveen-Oost, Rokkeveen-West and Rokkeveen-centrum. The district itself is less than forty years old, but the name and this area have a much longer history. Let’s go back to the year 1295.

The future Rokkeveen with the water tower in the background (1973) | Image: Memory of Zoetermeer | Maker Cor van Wieringen | Doc no: DIACVW1203

The Rokkeveen spot

As early as 1295 people were talking about ‘Rokkeveen’, then as ‘Ruckevene’. This actually means nothing more than ‘rutger peat (area)’ and it is probably named after a lord or landowner. In the thirteenth century, farmers started to develop more and more land on the Rokkeveenseweg and make it habitable. This created a collection of farms and a ‘spot’ of livable area. This was called ‘the Rokkeveen spot’.

The history of the Stationsweg

The Rokkeveen district is based on two old building ribbons. In addition to the buildings around the Rokkeveenseweg, the Stationsstraat is also a historic site. This road used to be called Kapellaan, because there was a chapel there. Later the name was changed to Molenweg, after the flour mill. The name Stationsstraat has been used since 1929, followed by the Eerste, Tweede, Derde and Vierde Stationsstraat. From the beginning of the twentieth century, the neighborhood began to take shape. Workers’ houses, villas and, since 1927, the water tower were built.

Aerial photo of the Floriade construction (late 1980s) | Image: Memory of Zoetermeer | Doc no: TH0000007630

The Floriade

In 1973, the municipality decided that Zoetermeer had to expand to accommodate the increasing number of residents. Construction of the Rokkeveen district therefore began in 1987. Rokkeveen-West in particular has an interesting construction history. This was also the exhibition site of the Floriade, the world horticultural exhibition. This took place in Zoetermeer in 1992 and in order not to get in the way of the exhibition, Rokkeveen-West was built last, after the exhibition. Many important elements of the Floriade can be seen in the Rokkeveen-West district. Consider, for example, the Floraplas, the rose garden, the follies, the Florapark and Stadsboerderij de Balijhoeve.

More about Rokkeveen in Zoetermeer:

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