Stolwijk
Stolwijk | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Coordinates: 51°58′22″N 4°46′29″E / 51.9728°N 4.7748°E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | South Holland |
| Municipality | Krimpenerwaard |
| Population (1 January 2026) | |
• Total | 5,485 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Stolwijk is a village in the municipality of Krimpenerwaard, in South Holland, Netherlands. It lies southeast of Gouda in the Krimpenerwaard region and had 5,485 inhabitants on 1 January 2026. Stolwijk was an independent municipality until 1985 and has a long history of dairy farming and cheese production.
Geography
[edit | edit source]Stolwijk lies in the low-lying peatlands of the Krimpenerwaard. Much of the countryside consists of reclaimed farmland divided by drainage ditches. Farms were traditionally built along the roads and waterways that crossed the reclaimed land, while the village centre developed around the church.
The surrounding countryside is used mainly for pasture, and the older pattern of long, narrow agricultural plots remains visible. The village itself has expanded beyond its original streets, with residential neighbourhoods built around the historic centre.
History
[edit | edit source]Stolwijk was first mentioned in written records on 19 September 1320, when a farmstead near the village church appeared in the register of the counts' fiefs in the Krimpenerwaard. The settlement developed through the reclamation of peatland for agriculture. Farmers drained the land and established holdings along the waterways, gradually bringing more of the surrounding marshland into use.
In 1489, troops from Woerden set fire to Stolwijk. The village church was damaged during the fighting, and its tower was rebuilt in 1501. The late-Gothic tower remains standing and measures approximately 45 metres in height. Its spire was damaged by a storm in 1717 and subsequently replaced. Another fire destroyed the church in 1867, after which a new building was completed in 1869. Problems with the foundations eventually required the church to be rebuilt again after the Second World War. The congregation began using the new building on 1 July 1949, while the older tower was preserved. The tower remains noticeably tilted because of subsidence in the underlying peat soil.
Stolwijk had a station on the Gouda–Schoonhoven railway, which opened on 14 November 1914. Construction had begun in 1902 but was delayed by the difficult ground conditions. Although legally classified as a tramway, the line operated as a railway service. It closed on 23 August 1942 under the German occupation, and the tracks were subsequently removed.
On 1 January 1985, Stolwijk ceased to be an independent municipality and merged with Haastrecht and Vlist to form the municipality of Vlist. Its municipal offices were established in Stolwijk. Vlist became part of the new municipality of Krimpenerwaard on 1 January 2015. Municipal services continued operating from Stolwijk until 28 July 2026, when the Krimpenerwaard administration moved into a new municipal building in Bergambacht.
Economy
[edit | edit source]Dairy farming has long been an important occupation in Stolwijk. Farmers produced cheese from milk obtained from cattle grazing in the surrounding pastures. Processing milk into cheese made it easier to preserve and transport, particularly when the waterways and roads made the delivery of fresh milk difficult.
The village became associated with Stolwijkse kaas, also known as Stolkse kaas, a traditional Dutch farm cheese. Farmers sold their cheese at markets in Gouda, where it became part of the regional cheese trade. Cheese production remains one of Stolwijk's recognised agricultural traditions.
Schroeter family
[edit | edit source]Stolwijk was the birthplace and longtime residence of Ferdinand Schroeter, who founded Schroeter Traktoren in the village in 1902. The company initially manufactured tractors for smaller farms before expanding into road vehicles. Ferdinand moved its main factory to Rotterdam in 1912 but continued living at his farmhouse in Stolwijk, travelling to Rotterdam to supervise production.[1]
On 5 July 1959, Ferdinand and his wife, Johanna Berendsen, were shot dead at their farmhouse in Stolwijk. Their son, Merginus Schroeter, discovered their bodies the following morning. The murders followed a dispute within the Schroeter family over the future of Schroeter Traktoren. Suspicion fell on people associated with the Schroeters-West faction, but the attackers were never identified. Ferdinand and Johanna were buried together at the municipal cemetery in Stolwijk.[2]