Voorhout

Coat of arms

Coordinates: 52°13′23″N 4°29′11″E / 52.22306°N 4.48639°E

Province

Municipality

Population (2005)

14.972

Voorhout (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvoːrɦʌut]) is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covered an area of 12.59 km² (4.86 mile²) of which 0.33 km² (0.13 mile²) is covered by water, and had a population of 14,792 in 2004. Together with Sassenheim and Warmond, it became part of the Teylingen municipality on January 1st 2006. Voorhout is located in an area called the "Dune and Bulb Region" (Duin- en Bollenstreek).

It also included the communities of Piet Gijzenbrug (partly) and Teijlingen with the Slot Teylingen.

In 1988 Voorhout celebrated its 1000 years anniversary. A letter, mentioning that Voorhout has existed since at least 988, has been preserved. This letter states that count Dirk II of Holland granted the church of “Foranholte” (the old name of Voorhout) to the Egmond Abbey. The second part of the name –holte or –hout (meaning “wood”) is a reference to the dune area that was supposedly very wooded at the time. Around the edges of the area, settlements arose. Voorhout arose at the front of this forest. The nearby Noordwijkerhout also refers to this forest, just like Holland, which is a degeneration of Holtland, meaning woodland.

Far before 988, people also lived in the area, formed by a habitable shoreline. Some Roman coins, about 2000 years old, have been found. In 1907, close to the Rijnsburgerweg, someone found 18 bronze axes and 1 chisel, about 3500 years old, that now are stored in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden.

Since 1150 the nobles of Teylingen take an important role in the area. In the Slot Teylingen Dutch counts regularly meet. The most important inhabitant of the castle was Jacoba van Beieren. Still Voorhout, for centuries, was just a dot on the map. In 1514 there are 40 houses in Voorhout.

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Wikipedia