Culemborg

Culemborg
City and municipality
Culemborg market square
Culemborg market square
Flag of Culemborg
Flag
Coat of arms of Culemborg
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Culemborg in a municipal map of Gelderland
Location in Gelderland
Coordinates: 51°57′13″N 5°13′34″E / 51.95361°N 5.22611°E / 51.95361; 5.22611
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceGelderland
Government
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorMarinka Mulder (PvdA)
Area
 • Total
31.14 km2 (12.02 sq mi)
 • Land29.29 km2 (11.31 sq mi)
 • Water1.85 km2 (0.71 sq mi)
Elevation
5 m (16 ft)
Population
 (January 2021)
 • Total
29,121
 • Density994/km2 (2,570/sq mi)
DemonymCulemborger
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
4100–4107
Area code0345
Websitewww.culemborg.nl

Culemborg (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkyləmbɔr(ə)x] ⓘ) is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. The city had a population of 29,386 on 1 January 2022 and is situated just south of the Lek river. Direct train lines run from the railway station towards the cities of Utrecht and Den Bosch, via the near railway bridge.

From 1318 until 1798 Culemborg was the seat of an independent lordship, later county of the Holy Roman Empire, and it retains a largely intact historic centre with a town gate, remnants of its city walls and the Elisabeth Weeshuis. In the late twentieth century the city became known for EVA-Lanxmeer, an ecological neighbourhood developed together with its future residents.

Etymology

The oldest example of the name is Culenburgh from 1281. Throughout the centuries several spellings have been used: Kulenborch (1305), Culenborgh (1353), Colemborch (1363), Culemborch (1472). The former part of the name (which today would be kuil) refers to a hole or pit, while the later refers to the castle that was built there around 1270.

History

Culemborg in Joan Blaeu's map from his Tooneel der Steeden, 1649

Lordship and county

Culemborg, formerly also spelled Kuilenburg or Kuylenburgh, received city rights in 1318.

Despite its Dutch character, Culemborg was not legally part of the Netherlands until the late 18th century, and was instead part of a fiefdom in the Holy Roman Empire. The fiefdom (later county) had gained the right of toll collection and the right of asylum: it was a so-called 'Vrijstad' (free city). In practice, this meant that people who had fled to Culemborg from other cities (for example due to bankruptcy) could evade their creditors in Culemborg as the creditors would not be allowed entry into the city. This did not mean that criminals could escape justice in Culemborg: the manor had its own justice system which could sentence criminals. The phrase 'Naar Culemborg gaan' (Going to Culemborg) became synonymous with going bankrupt.

The last sovereign ruler of the old lordship was Elisabeth van Culemborg (1475–1555), born at Hoogstraten Castle, who married first Jan of Luxembourg and then Antoine of Lalaing. Shortly before her death in 1555 Emperor Charles V raised the lordship to a county. As she had no children, the county passed to her great-nephew Floris of Pallandt (1539–1598). Her bequest paid for the Elisabeth Weeshuis, built between 1557 and 1560.

Floris of Pallandt was one of the nobles behind the 1566 Compromise of Nobles; the confederates met at his palace in Brussels, which the Duke of Alba later had demolished. At home he turned to Protestantism: in September 1566 he gave the chapel of the Gasthuis to the Calvinists, and when the preaching spread he had the images removed from the church in his own town. In 1639 the county passed to the German Waldeck-Eisenberg family, whose arrival brought Lutheranism to the town; the first Lutheran services were held in the castle chapel in 1640. The family held the county until 1714, after which it passed to the House of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

In Joan Blaeu's map of 1649, Culemborg remains entirely enclosed by walls behind its city moat-like encircling canals. The moated castle stands outside the city walls. Houses present a united front along streets and the two canals that cut the city in three sections, but they all face gardens behind, and market gardens are plentiful within the city walls.

The French invasion and the end of the county

When French troops invaded the Dutch Republic in 1672, the town authorities obtained neutrality assurances, arguing that the county did not legally belong to the Republic, but Culemborg nevertheless suffered badly in 1672–1673. The castle east of the town was heavily damaged during the French occupation and was largely demolished in 1735; its last remnant, a tower, disappeared in 1812, and only the castle garden survives.

In 1720 the county was sold to the estates of the Nijmegen Quarter, who presented it to Stadtholder Willem IV in 1748. To this day, the Dutch king Willem-Alexander remains count of Culemborg. In 1795 the city was occupied by French forces, and a few years later it was completely incorporated in the Bataafse Republiek, losing its sovereign rights.

19th and 20th centuries

In 1868, a railway bridge was built over the river Lek which was the longest bridge in Europe for a few years. Just upstream of it is a reaction ferry.

Jewish community

Culemborg had a Jewish community by the mid-18th century. Its dead were first buried at Buren until the community opened its own cemetery on the Westerborgwal in 1764. A synagogue is recorded from 1791, and a new neo-Gothic synagogue was consecrated next to it in 1868, when the community numbered around 200. The community declined from the 1880s onward. During the German occupation the synagogue was used as a stable and its contents were lost, and in 1947 the community was dissolved and merged into that of Utrecht. The building was converted into a Christian Reformed church in 1950. The memorial on the Jewish cemetery commemorates 38 Jewish residents of Culemborg killed in the Second World War, and a second monument was unveiled behind the former synagogue on 5 September 2018.

Late 20th century

In 1964, about 100 Moluccan families moved into the new Terweijde district. In 2021 the graves of former KNIL soldiers in the town received special status, and in 2024 the community centre for the Moluccan residents of Terweijde reopened.

In 1991, a fireworks explosion occurred in a factory, resulting in 2 deaths and over 20 injuries.

In 1995, Culemborg was one of the cities which was temporarily evacuated because of the risk of flooding.

Between 1994 and 2009, Culemborg developed the ecological neighborhood EVA Lanxmeer. Close collaboration with inhabitants and experimental sustainable design has made the neighbourhood an international best practice. EVA-Lanxmeer was initiated by Marleen Kaptein and developed as a partnership between the municipality, the EVA foundation and future residents. The site covers about 30 hectares next to the railway station and includes housing (around 30% social), an urban farm, a community orchard, offices, schools and its own water-treatment facilities. The municipality was approached with the concept in 1995.

Transportation

Culemborg is served by Culemborg railway station, which offers train services to Utrecht 4x per hour and 2x per hour to 's-Hertogenbosch and Tiel each. The railway station also provides a bus hub, offering buses to the various neighbouring cities and villages (namely Buren, Beusichem and Nieuwegein).

The near railway bridge has been built in the 1860s and at the time it had some important records.

Topography

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Culemborg, June 2015

Politics

Municipal council

The municipal council of Culemborg has 23 seats. In the municipal election of 18 March 2026, 14,222 of 24,077 eligible voters turned out (59.07%). The joint list of GroenLinks and the PvdA was the largest party with seven seats, followed by the VVD and the local party Culemborg van Nu, each with five.

2026 municipal council election
PartyVotes%Seats
GroenLinks–PvdA4,03128.507
VVD2,98321.095
Culemborg van Nu2,53217.905
D661,3239.352
CDA1,0237.232
ChristenUnie8506.011
Party for the Animals7725.461
SP3652.580
CulemborgsBelang2651.870
Total valid votes14,14410023

Municipal executive

The mayor, appointed by the Crown, is Marinka Mulder of the PvdA. She is joined in the executive by three aldermen: Mischa Peters (PRO, deputy mayor), Yassin Dagdag (PRO) and Roger van Asselt (VVD). Together PRO and the VVD hold 12 of the 23 council seats.

Economy

Dough processing company Rademaker BV, founded in 1977, moved to Culemborg in 1981 and still has their headquarters here.

Centraal Boekhuis, trading under CB since 2012, is the main distributor of books in The Netherlands and has been based in Culemborg since 1973. The CB received the royal designation in April 2021, hence since then the distributor is referred to as Koninklijk CB (Royal CB).

Landmarks

The historic city within its 14th-century ramparts, together with the adjacent floodplains, is a protected townscape.

Windmills

There are two traditional windmills in Culemborg, De Hoop and Johanna. The base of a third mill, De Koornvriend, also survives.

Notable residents

Jan van Riebeeck, 1660

Sport

References

  1. 1 2 "Marinka Mulder" (in Dutch). Gemeente Culemborg. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  2. ↑ "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. ↑ "Postcodetool for 4101BK". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  4. ↑ "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  5. ↑ Culemborg, Etymologiebank.nl, geraadpleegd op 10 augustus 2019. Gearchiveerd op 10 augustus 2019.
  6. ↑ "700 jaar stadsrechten in Culemborg, dat mag best wat (meer) kosten". gld.nl (in Dutch). 19 January 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 "Ontsnappen aan in de misdaad in Gelderse vrijsteden (1570-1795)". mijngelderland.nl (in Dutch).
  8. 1 2 3 "De Heeren en Graven van Culemborg". Genootschap A.W.K. Voet van Oudheusden (in Dutch). December 2018.
  9. ↑ van der Steen, Jasper (2014). Memory Wars in the Low Countries, 1566–1700. Brill.
  10. ↑ "Die Reformasie in Culemborg". HTS Teologiese Studies (in Afrikaans).
  11. ↑ "The Hedge-Preaching in Holland, July 1566". Leiden University Library – Dutch Revolt. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  12. ↑ "Het kasteel van Culemborg". canonvannederland.nl (in Dutch).
  13. ↑ van Hattem, Cees (1989). "Vermist: tweehonderdvijftig Franse soldaten" (PDF). Culemborgse Voetnoten (in Dutch) (4).
  14. ↑ "Culemborg: Geschiedenis". DBNL (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Kasteel Culemborg" (PDF). Burgenwelt (in German). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  16. ↑ Vera Moisson (26 April 2025). "Met deze Achterhoekse titels mag je de koning ook begroeten". gld.nl (in Dutch).
  17. ↑ "Geschiedenis". 4 August 2016.
  18. 1 2 "Culemborg". Jewish Communities of the Netherlands (JCK). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Synagogue in Culemborg". Religiana. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  20. ↑ "Joods Monument Culemborg". TracesOfWar. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  21. ↑ "Memorial of Jewish residents". TracesOfWar. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  22. ↑ "KNIL-graven in Culemborg krijgen bijzondere status". SRC (in Dutch).
  23. ↑ "Culemborgse Molukse gemeenschap heeft weer een eigen gemeenschapshuis". SRC (in Dutch).
  24. ↑ "Lanxmeer eco-neighbourhood". New European Bauhaus Prizes. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "Lanxmeer is al een kwart eeuw eco". Binnenlands Bestuur (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  26. ↑ "Oude spoorbrug". openmonumentendag.nl (in Dutch).
  27. 1 2 "Gemeenteraad 18 maart 2026: Culemborg". Databank Verkiezingsuitslagen (in Dutch). Kiesraad. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  28. 1 2 "Gemeente Culemborg (Culemborg)". Register van Overheidsorganisaties (in Dutch). Overheid.nl. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  29. ↑ "Geschiedenis Centraal Boekhuis". cb.nl (in Dutch).
  30. ↑ Peter van Ammelrooy (9 May 2021). "In Culemborg staat een berg van 40 miljoen boeken. Het CB zorgt dat die bij u terechtkomen". volkskrant.nl (in Dutch).
  31. ↑ "Toelichting aanwijzing beschermd stadsgezicht Culemborg" (PDF). Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  32. ↑ "Herenstraat 29, Culemborg". Rijksmonumentenregister (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  33. ↑ "Torah mantle". Museum Elisabeth Weeshuis provenance database. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  34. ↑ "Voorloopige lijst der Nederlandsche monumenten van geschiedenis en kunst, Deel IV: Gelderland". DBNL (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  35. ↑ "De Plantage, Culemborg: historisch onderzoek". Wageningen UR e-depot (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  36. ↑ "Fort Everdingen en Werk aan het Spoel" (PDF). Culemborgse Voetnoten (in Dutch) (78). 2024.
  37. ↑ "De Koornvriend, Culemborg" (in Dutch). Molendatabase. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  38. ↑ "Diemen, Anthony van" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 08 (11th ed.). 1911.
  39. ↑ "Jan van Riebeeck, van held tot fraudeur". archief.schiedam.nl (in Dutch).
  40. ↑ "De VOC-buurt of Culemborgers overzee". culemborgtoen.nu (in Dutch).
  41. ↑ "Otto van Rees - Canon van Nederland". canonvannederland.nl (in Dutch).
  42. ↑ Susan Thomas (21 January 2004). "Obituary: Rudi Martinus van Dijk". theguardian.com.
  43. ↑ Bram van Schaik (9 September 2020). "Alies wil dat iedereen kennis maakt met Culemborgse kledingindustrie, maar door corona loopt dat anders". ad.nl (in Dutch).
  44. ↑ Albert Heller (12 December 2020). "Denk-leider Farid Azarkan wil 500 agenten die discriminatie aanpakken: '27 procent van de Nederlanders heeft ermee te maken'". gelderlander.nl (in Dutch). DPG Media. Azarkan is getrouwd en woont in Culemborg.
  45. ↑ "Jelka van Houten: 'Niet al mijn dromen hoeven uit te komen'". trouw.nl (in Dutch). 1 December 2012.
  46. ↑ "Elly van Hulst - NOCNSF". nocnsf.nl (in Dutch).
  47. ↑ "Patrick Pothuizen: Carrière, statistieken & clubs". voetbal.com (in Dutch).
  48. ↑ "Jan Oosterhuis: Carrière, statistieken & clubs". voetbal.com (in Dutch).
  49. ↑ Tim Beck (18 June 2022). "Ex-prof Michiel Elijzen nam bewust afscheid als ploegleider, maar niet van het wielrennen: 'Mijn wereldje werd te klein'". degelderlander.nl (in Dutch).
  50. ↑ "Tweede gouden medaille voor Xandra Velzeboer". culemborgsecourant.nl (in Dutch). 16 February 2026.
  51. 1 2 Bram van Schaik (3 March 2026). "Huldiging zussen Xandra en Michelle Velzeboer 20 maart op Culemborgse Markt". ad.nl (in Dutch).