Stichtse Vecht is a municipality of the Netherlands and lies in the northwestern part of the province of Utrecht

Utrecht (province)

Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...

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The municipality has about 63,000 inhabitants and covers an area of about 107 km². Main town is Maarssen

Maarssen

Maarssen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht, along the river Vecht. It lies in an area called the Vechtstreek.On January 1, 2011 Maarssen merged with Breukelen and Loenen to Stichtse Vecht....

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Stichtse Vecht has been newly formed by a merger of the municipalities of Breukelen

Breukelen

Breukelen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is situated to the north west of Utrecht, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen, an area of natural and touristic interest...

 (in the west), Maarssen (in the east) and Loenen (in the north) on January 1, 2011.

Geography

Stichtse Vecht is situated north of the city of Utrecht

Utrecht

Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...

, in an area called the Vechtstreek

Vechtstreek

The Vechtstreek is a region in the Dutch provinces of Utrecht and North Holland along the Vecht River between the towns of Utrecht and Amsterdam...

. It is located below sea level

Sea level

Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...

 and mostly a rural area with lots of pasture

Pasture

Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...

s.

Within its boundaries lay the Maarseveense Plassen, which are recreational lakes. Northeast it borders the Loosdrechtse Plassen, also recreational lakes, which lay in neighbouring municipality of Wijdemeren

Wijdemeren

-Population centres :The municipality of Wijdemeren consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Ankeveen, Boomhoek, Breukeleveen, 's-Graveland, Kortenhoef, Muyeveld, Nederhorst den Berg, Nieuw-Loosdrecht, Oud-Loosdrecht.- Local government :...

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The Amsterdam–Rhine Canal and the river Vecht

Vecht (Utrecht)

thumb|right|[[Satellite]] [[image]] of the surroundings of [[Utrecht |Utrecht]] showing river Vecht and the [[Amsterdam-Rhine Canal]] .220px|thumb|right|Location of river Vecht ....

 crosses the municipality from south to north.

History

The municipality contains many stately home

Stately home

A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...

s (buitenplaats

Buitenplaats

A buitenplaats was a summer residence for rich townspeople in the Netherlands. During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, many traders and city administrators in Dutch towns became very wealthy...

en) and several castles, like Nijenrode Castle, Slot Zuylen

Slot Zuylen

Slot Zuylen is a Dutch castle at the village of Oud-Zuilen just north of the city of Utrecht. It is located at the southern end of the Vechtstreek.-History:...

 and Huis te Mijnden.

Transportation

The A2 motorway

A2 motorway (Netherlands)

The A2 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is one of the busiest highways in the Netherlands. The road connects the city of Amsterdam, near the interchange Amstel, with the Belgian border, near Maastricht and Liège , and the Belgian road A25....

 crosses the municipality from south to north.

There are two railway stations:

• Breukelen railway station
  Breukelen railway station
  Breukelen is a railway station located in Breukelen, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 18 December 1843 and is on the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway. It is also the northern end of the Harmelen–Breukelen railway. A new station was opened in 2002 nearer the A2 motorway and further from the town...
  
  
• Maarssen railway station
  Maarssen railway station
  Maarssen is a railway station in Maarssenbroek and on the opposite side of the Amsterdam Rijnkanaal to Maarssen, The Netherlands. The station opened on 18 December 1843 and is located on the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway...
  
  

Population centers

Former municipality of Breukelen:

• Breukelen
  Breukelen
  Breukelen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is situated to the north west of Utrecht, along the river Vecht and close to the lakes of the Loosdrechtse Plassen, an area of natural and touristic interest...
  
  
• Gieltjesdorp
• Kockengen
  Kockengen
  Kockengen is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht . It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 9 km northeast of Woerden.In 2001, the village of Kockengen had 2296 inhabitants...
  
  
• Kortrijk
• Laagnieuwkoop
• Nieuwer-Ter-Aa
  Nieuwer-Ter-Aa
  Nieuwer-Ter-Aa is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht . It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 13 km northwest of Utrecht.In 2001, the village of Nieuwer-Ter-Aa had 463 inhabitants...
  
  
• Noordeinde
• Oud-Aa
  Oud-Aa
  Oud-Aa is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht . It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 13 km northeast of Woerden....
  
  
• Oukoop
• Portengen
  Portengen
  Portengen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, 1 km northeast of Kockengen.Portengen was a separate municipality from 1818 to 1857, when it was merged with Breukelen-Nijenrode.-References:...
  
  
• Portengense Brug
• Scheendijk
  Scheendijk
  Scheendijk is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Utrecht . It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 10 km northwest of Utrecht....
  
  
• Spengen
  Spengen
  Spengen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Utrecht . It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 10 km northeast of Woerden....
  
  
• Zuideinde

Former municipality of Loenen:

• Loenen (aan de Vecht)
  Loenen aan de Vecht
  Loenen is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It was the main town in the former municipality of Loenen. Since 2011 it has made part of the new formed municipality of Stichtse Vecht. It lies about 10 km west of Hilversum....
  
  
• Loenersloot
  Loenersloot
  Loenersloot is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It was a part of the former municipality of Loenen. Since 2011 it has made part of the new formed municipality of Stichtse Vecht. It lies about 12 km west of Hilversum. It is located on the Angstel River.In 2001, the village of...
  
  
• Mijnden
  Mijnden
  Mijnden is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It was a part of the former municipality of Loenen. Since 2011 it has made part of the new formed municipality of Stichtse Vecht and lies about 12 km west of Hilversum....
  
  
• Nieuwerhoek
• Nieuwersluis
• Nigtevecht
• Vreeland
  Vreeland
  Vreeland is a city in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It was a part of the former municipality of Loenen. Since 2011 it has made part of the new formed municipality of Stichtse Vecht. It is located on the river Vecht, about 2 km north of Loenen aan de Vecht. It received city rights in 1265....
  
  

Former municipality of Maarssen:

• Maarssen
  Maarssen
  Maarssen is a town and former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht, along the river Vecht. It lies in an area called the Vechtstreek.On January 1, 2011 Maarssen merged with Breukelen and Loenen to Stichtse Vecht....
  
  
• Maarssen-dorp
• Maarssenbroek
  Maarssenbroek
  Maarssenbroek is a former village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is now a neighbourhood of the town of Maarssen and makes part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht...
  
  
• Maarsseveen
  Maarsseveen
  Maarsseveen is a former village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It was located on the east bank of the Vecht River, opposite the village of Maarssen, and has now been completely absorbed by that town. It makes part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht....
  
  
• Molenpolder
• Oud-Maarsseveen
  Oud-Maarsseveen
  Oud-Maarsseveen is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 7 km north of Utrecht....
  
  
• Oud-Zuilen
  Oud-Zuilen
  Oud-Zuilen is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 4 km northwest of Utrecht. It is in an area called the "Vechtstreek".In 2001, the town of Oud-Zuilen had 224 inhabitants...
  
  
• Tienhoven

Municipal council

The municipal council consists of the following parties:

Political party	Seats
VVD	8
CDA	5
Maarssen2000	4
D66	3
PvdA	3
GroenLinks	2
ChristenUnie-SGP	2
Streekbelangen	2
Het Vechtse Verbond	2
Breukelen Beweegt	1
Maarssen Natuurlijk	1
Total	33

Executive board

VVD, CDA, D66, ChristenUnie-SGP, Streekbelangen and Het Vechtse Verbond have formed a coalition

Coalition

A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...

. Together they have 22 seats. Members of the executive board

College van Burgemeester en Wethouders

The college van burgemeester en wethouders is the executive board of a municipality in the Netherlands. This local government body plays a central role in municipal politics in the Netherlands. It consists of the mayor and the members of the municipal executive...

 are:

Mayor:

• Mirjam van 't Veld (CDA, interim)

Aldermen

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

:

• Pieter de Groene (D66)
• Gera Helling-Zeisseink (CDA)
• Vital van der Horst (Streekbelangen)
• Piet Ploeg (VVD)
• Jaap Verkroost (CDA)
• Klaas Wiersema (VVD)

External links

Official website