Forget Amsterdam, Haarlem or Leiden. None of all are the oldest city in Holland. No, that honor is to this small town that now has about seven thousand inhabitants and already received city rights in 1213 from the then count of Holland. And with that Geertruidenberg, which belonged to Holland until 1813, has been a real city for more than 800 years. Ouder than Dordrecht, which has been claiming to be the oldest in Holland for decades. They have a small proof problem, our Dordrecht friends. But more about that in this section more.
It is a struggle between two cities that have been playing for quite some time and flares up in full force for some time: which one is the oldest in Holland? In 2011, the national entry of Sinterklaas was in Dordrecht and then then mayor Arno Brok de Lont stuck in the Kruitvat. He welcomed the good saint and his helpers in the oldest city in Holland. And he shouldn’t have done that.
In Geertruidenberg they spewed fire and immediately considered steaming up the Bergsche Maas with a war fleet to not leave this enormous insult, which was pronounced on national television, unanswered. That would be a suitable medieval retaliation, but city historian Bas Zijlmans of Geertruidenberg was wise and kept it in words. Although they were no less: Geertruidenberg is and remains the oldest. That is fixed on paper. Whatever they call there across the day.
Zijlmans points to a document from 1213 in which market rights were granted to Geertruidenberg. And you can only get it if you are a city. All historians agree on that. And then Dordrecht? That can be an official writing from 1220 consultations stating that it was received city rights. Exactly seven years later indeed. But, according to our top lockers, Dordrecht was very likely a city before. Older documents show that there were already aldermen (old term for alderman or local director). And you only have that in a city.
The moving judge
Great. Then we let the judge look at it. And not just like that. No, Mr. Frank Visser, aka De Rijdende Judge, suggests Geertruidenberg. And then we do that in the perfect place: Slot Loevestein. But they don’t want that in Dordrecht. Even if Visser writes on his website that he suspects that Dordrecht would have won simply, they do not change his mind. Afraid if they are still having to bite the dust.
In short, many words, but little evidence. That seems to change a few years later. When the Dordste Historian Henk ‘t Jong publishes a new book in 2018 about the Graafschap Holland. And yes, the city historian welcomes, he has a document that puts an end to all doubts. In 1200, Count Dirk VII signed that and Dordrecht would have been labeled as a city.
Louis Napoleon
Discussion closed? No, far from. Zijlmans is by no means convinced, he tells BN DeStem. “What are they worried about in Dordrecht? I will read the documents, but I will no longer argue. Until the opposite is proven.
And with that we are back, because it didn’t happen. So the oldest city in Holland is in Brabant. Thanks to the French occupier Lodewijk Napoleon who, in all his wisdom in 1813, decided to ‘free’ the fortified city from Holland and to add to Brabant.
Past
Aflied past is a weekly section about fun, remarkable or funny facts from the rich Brabant past. If you have a tip, mail to: [email protected]