Schiedam, South Holland, Netherlands

🇳🇱 Schiedam is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen, and south of Delft. In the south the city is connected with the village of Pernis by the Beneluxtunnel.

The city is known for its historical centre with canals, and for having the tallest windmills in the world. Schiedam is also well known for the distilleries and malthouses and production of jenever (gin) − such as the internationally renowned Ketel One − so much so that in French and English the word schiedam (usually without a capital s-) refers to the town's Holland gin. This was the town's main industry during the early Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th century, a period to which it owed its former nickname "Zwart Nazareth" or "Black Nazareth". Furthermore, the city is known for Saint Lidwina, one of the most famous Dutch saints (her relics are located in the Liduina Basilica in Schiedam).

History Schiedam was founded around the year 1230. The river Schie was dammed by the Lord of Wassenaer and the Amtlord Dirk Bokel of the Amt Mathenesse, this to protect the existing polderland against the seawater from the North Sea. In 1247, Lady Adelaide (Aleida) of Holland married John I, Count of Hainaut. As dowry she received from him the eastern part of the dam together with the adjacent polder. The dam attracted many trade activities because goods for and from the hinterland (Delft, and further away Leiden and Haarlem) had to be transhipped. A small town developed swiftly around the dam and its activities. In the year 1275 Schiedam received city rights from Lady Adelaide, this in her capacity as sister of William II, the reigning Count of Holland and becoming King of the Romans. She ordered the building of Te Riviere Castle near the Schie, which is known today as "Castle Mathenesse" (Dutch: "Huis te Riviere" or "Slot Mathenesse"). Remnants of a donjon, which were once part of the castle, are still visible today in the centre of Schiedam and near the city office.

As a young settlement Schiedam soon got competition from surrounding towns and cities: in 1340, Rotterdam and Delft also were allowed to establish a connection between the Schie and the Meuse. From the 15th century on the city flourished as a place of pilgrimage on the devotion around Saint Lidwina, one of the most famous Dutch saints who lived her life in Schiedam. The city gained subsequently significance by fishing for herring. In 1428 a great city fire swept through Schiedam, thereby destroying large parts of the then wooden city.

The 18th century was Schiedam's Golden Age, when the gin industry flourished. The standstill drink imports from France made the emergence of the Schiedamse distillery possible. From dozens of distilleries Schiedam jenever was exported throughout the world. The gin industry gave the city its nickname 'Black Nazareth'. This industry is now largely gone. Five windmills in the town, called De Noord, Walvisch, Drie Koornbloemen, Nieuwe Palmboom and Vrijheid − are the highest traditional style windmills in the world because they had to stick out above the high warehouses, and many storehouses are relics of this past. In one of the former factories at the Lange Haven the National Jenever Museum is established.

At the end of the 19th and throughout the 20th century, the shipbuilding industry was booming in Schiedam, with large companies like Wilton-Fijenoord and others. In 1941, the ancient municipalities Kethel en Spaland were merged with Schiedam, which made large expansions of the city possible with residential areas in the north. At the end of the 20th century, the shipbuilding industry largely disappeared and today, Schiedam is mainly a commuter area in the Rotterdam metropolitan area.

Geography The city of Schiedam is located in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is enclosed between Rotterdam (east), Midden-Delfland (north), Vlaardingen (west) and the river Nieuwe Maas (south).

Schiedam exists of nine districts: Centrum ('Center'), Oost ('East'), Gorzen ('South'), West ('West'), Nieuwland, Groenoord, Kethel, Woudhoek and Spaland/Sveaparken.

Demographics 55,44% Dutch background, 14,42% Western migration background, 30,15% Non western migration background

Culture: Museums • Stedelijk Museum Schiedam • Jenevermuseum (Schiedam) • Het Borrelmuseum (in 't Spul on Hoogstraat) • De Walvisch  • Nationaal Coöperatie Museum Schiedam / 't Winkeltje • Artgallery 't Walvisch.

Monuments • The old city hall (Oude stadhuis (Schiedam)) • The canals of Schiedam • The Wheat Exchange (De Korenbeurs) • Church of Saint John (Grote of Sint-Janskerk) • The ruins of Te Riviere Castle • Saint Lidwina basilica  • De Plantage (a park) • The Porters' Guild House (Zakkendragershuisje (Schiedam)) • Het Proveniershuis (housing elderly people) • The historical windmills of Schiedam. This includes the tallest windmill in the world which is used as a restaurant.

Events • Brandersfeesten  • The National Windmill Days (Nationale Molen- & Gemalen dag) • Monthly art exhibition at Artipico Art Gallery (maandelijkse Kunstborrel)

Past notable events • 1856 Schiedam train accident • 1976 Schiedam train accident • 1976 Schiedam riots • 2012 lip dub World record attempt

Sport The most popular sports in Schiedam are soccer and field hockey. Two of its prominent soccer clubs, SVV (Schiedamse voetbal vereniging) and Hermes, were formerly part of the Netherlands' professional football league before being relegated due to financial difficulties. Cricket is also unusually popular in Schiedam, with two cricket teams playing in the topklasse (by comparison, the Dutch capital Amsterdam only has one). Aforementioned team Hermes D.V.S. holds two topklasse titles, whilst rivals Excelsior '20 hold eleven.

Education There are about 35 schools in Schiedam. The oldest high school is the Stedelijk Gymnasium Schiedam, dating back to 1346. Other schools include Lyceum Schravenlant, Spieringshoek and Lentiz LIFE.