Altena, North Brabant, Netherlands

🇳🇱 Altena is a municipality in the Netherlands, on a river island in the very north of the province of North Brabant, bordering the provinces of Gelderland and South Holland. Nearby cities are Dordrecht in the west, Gorinchem in the north (both in South Holland), and Waalwijk in the south. Altena is the largest municipality of North Brabant in terms of land area (surpassing Meierijstad).

Geography The municipality was formed on 1 January 2019, by the merger of the municipalities of Aalburg, Werkendam, and Woudrichem. Aalburg was only a municipality, Werkendam and Woudrichem are also population centres. Werkendam is the largest town, and the small city of Woudrichem the historical centre of Altena. The village of Almkerk serves as the municipal seat and lies in the middle of the municipality.

Altena can be characterized as a rural community with population centres mainly concentrated along the surrounding waterways. These waterways are (clockwise, starting in the west): Nieuwe Merwede, Boven Merwede, Afgedamde Maas, Heusdensch Kanaal, Bergsche Maas, and Amer.

De Biesbosch National Park is partially situated in the western part of Altena.

The municipality of Altena is to a large extent identical to the region of the Land van Heusden en Altena. Only De Biesbosch area, existing of the aforementioned De Biesbosch National Park and polders above, falls outside. Waterway Steurgat largely forms the boundary.

Population centres The municipality of Altena officially has 1 city, 18 villages, and 27 hamlets. However, many villages are the size of a hamlet, and Werkendam and Woudrichem are the size of towns, the latter also having city rights.

City • Woudrichem; Villages • Almkerk • Andel • Babyloniënbroek • Drongelen • Dussen • Eethen • Genderen • Giessen • Hank • Meeuwen • Nieuwendijk • Rijswijk • Sleeuwijk • Uitwijk • Veen • Waardhuizen • Werkendam • Wijk en Aalburg; Hamlets • (De) Baan • Biesheuvel • Bronkhorst • Buurtje • Duizend Morgen • Eng • Hagoort • Hill • (De) Hoef • Hoekeinde • Keizersveer • Kerkeinde • Kievitswaard • Kille • Korn • Moleneind • Oudendijk • Peerenboom • Schans • Spijk • Stenenheul • Steurgat • Uppel • Vierbannen • Vijcie • 't Zand • Zandwijk.

Transport Altena is accessible by bridges and ferries. Important bridges are the northern Merwede Bridge and the southern Keizersveer Bridge. Both bridges are part of motorway A27, which crosses the municipality from north to south.

A car ferry in the very western part connects the city of Dordrecht with Altena.

Nearest railway station is Gorinchem railway station in the municipality of Gorinchem, above Altena on the other side of the Boven Merwede river.

History Altena is the southernmost part of the Dutch Water Line, an obsolete defensive line, which contains several fortresses in this municipality like Fort Steurgat, Fort aan de Uppelse Dijk, and Fort Giessen, and with Woudrichem as a fortified city.

Contrary to most other North Brabant municipalities, Protestantism is dominant in the Altena municipality, especially the Reformed branch. Church attendance is high, and Christian-oriented political parties receive many votes.

Sport Several football clubs have their home base in the municipality: • Achilles Veen in Veen • GRC '14 in Giessen • Kozakken Boys in Werkendam • VV Almkerk in Almkerk

Each year the 7-Dorpenomloop Aalburg, a prestigious women's road bicycle race, is being held in the south-east corner of Altena (the area of the former municipality of Aalburg, hence the name).