View source for Bergen op Zoom

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
<!-- Name and transliteration -->
| name                    = Bergen op Zoom
| settlement_type         = [[List of cities in the Netherlands by province|City]] and [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]]
<!-- Images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline           = Bergen op zoom 001.jpg
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = Markiezenhof in Bergen op Zoom
| image_flag              = Bergen op Zoom vlag.svg
| flag_size               = 100x67px
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Bergen op Zoom wapen.svg
| shield_size             = 100x80px
| shield_alt              = 
| anthem                  = [[Merck toch hoe sterck]]
<!-- Maps, coordinates -->
| image_map               = Map - NL - Municipality code 0748 (2009).svg
| map_alt                 = Highlighted position of Bergen op Zoom in a municipal map of North Brabant
| map_caption             = Location in North Brabant
| pushpin_map             = Netherlands#Europe
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location within the Netherlands##Location within Europe
| pushpin_relief          = 1
| coordinates             = {{coord|51|30|N|4|18|E|region:NL|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[Netherlands]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Provinces of the Netherlands|Province]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[North Brabant]]
| government_footnotes    = <ref name="mayor_now">{{cite web
 |url = http://www.bergenopzoom.nl/Gemeenteraad/Wie_zitten_er_in_de_gemeenteraad/Voorzitter/Burgemeester
 |title = Burgemeester
 |trans-title=Mayor
 |language = nl
 |publisher = Gemeente Bergen op Zoom
 |access-date = 21 April 2014
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140422232424/http://www.bergenopzoom.nl/Gemeenteraad/Wie_zitten_er_in_de_gemeenteraad/Voorzitter/Burgemeester
 |archive-date = 22 April 2014
 }}</ref>
| governing_body          = [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|Municipal council]]
| leader_party            = [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|PVDA]]
| leader_title            = [[Burgomaster|Mayor]]
| leader_name             = Margo Mulder
<!-- Geographic information -->
| unit_pref               = Metric
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
<!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| area_footnotes          = <ref>{{Dutch municipality total area|dataref}}</ref>
<!-- square kilometers -->
| area_total_km2          = {{Dutch municipality total area|Bergen op Zoom}}
| area_land_km2           = {{Dutch municipality land area|Bergen op Zoom}}
| area_water_km2          = {{Dutch municipality water area|Bergen op Zoom}}
| elevation_footnotes     = <ref name="AHN">{{cite web 
 |url = http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool
 |title = Postcodetool for 4611AR
 |language = nl
 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> 
 |work = Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland
 |publisher = Het Waterschapshuis
 |access-date = 21 April 2014}}</ref>
| elevation_m             = 10
| elevation_max_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_max_m         =
| elevation_min_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_min_m         =
<!-- Population, demographics -->
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{Dutch municipality population|dataref}}</ref>
| population_total        = {{Dutch municipality population|Bergen op Zoom}}
| population_as_of        = {{MONTHNAME|{{Dutch municipality population|popbasemonth}}}} {{Dutch municipality population|popbaseyear}}
| population_density_km2  = {{Dutch municipality population density|Bergen op Zoom}} <!-- For automatic calculation: auto-->
| population_demonym      = Bergenaar
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone                = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset              = +1
| timezone_DST            = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST          = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal codes in the Netherlands|Postcode]]
| postal_code             = 4600–4625, 4660–4664
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in the Netherlands|Area code]]
| area_code               = 0164
| website                 = {{URL|1=http://www.bergenopzoom.nl}}
| footnotes               =
}}

'''Bergen op Zoom''' ({{IPA|nl|ˌbɛrɣə(n) ɔp ˈsoːm|-|176 Bergen op Zoom.ogg}};{{efn|''Zoom'' in isolation is {{IPA|nl|ˈzoːm|}}.}} called ''Berrege'' {{IPA|nl|ˈbɛrəɣə|}} in the [[Brabantian dialect|local dialect]]) is a [[List of cities in the Netherlands by province|city]] and [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] in southwestern [[Netherlands]]. It is located in the [[Provinces of the Netherlands|province]] of [[North Brabant]], at the provincial border with [[Zeeland]]. In 2025, the municipality had a population of 70,216.

== Etymology ==
The city was built on a site where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil pushed against the marine clay, accumulating and forming hills over several centuries. People called those hills the ''Brabantse Wal'', literally meaning "ramparts of Brabant". ''Zoom'' refers to the border of these ramparts and ''bergen'' in Dutch means mountains or hills. The name has nothing to do with the little channel, the Zoom, which was later built through Bergen op Zoom.

== History ==
[[File:Map of Bergen op Zoom (Blaeu).jpg|thumb|left|Bergen op Zoom in 1649. Note marshes (left, top right), canalized diversion of the [[Scheldt]] and extensive fortifications.]]
[[File:BergenopZoom-plaats-OpenTopo.jpg|thumb|left|Topographic map of Bergen op Zoom, March 2014]]
Bergen op Zoom was granted [[City rights in the Low Countries|city status]] probably in 1212. In 1287 the city and its surroundings became a [[Lord|lordship]] as it was separated from the lordship of [[Breda]]. The lordship was elevated to a [[lords and margraves of Bergen op Zoom|margraviate]] in 1559. Several noble families, including the [[House of Glymes]], ruled Bergen op Zoom in succession until 1795, although the title was only nominal since at least the seventeenth century.

During the [[Early modern Europe|early modern period]], Bergen op Zoom was a very strong fortress and one of the main [[Armory (military)|armories]] and [[arsenal]]s of the [[Dutch Republic|United Provinces]]. It had a remarkable natural defensive site, surrounded as it was by marshes and easily flooded [[polder]]s. Furthermore, it could receive reinforcements and supplies by sea, if the [[Siege|besieging]] army did not have a fleet to blockade its port.

Due to these features, the city was one of the strategic points held by the Dutch during their revolt in the [[Eighty Years War]], beginning in the late sixteenth century. It was at that time besieged by [[Alessandro Farnese, Duke of Parma and Piacenza|Alessandro Farnese]] [[Siege of Bergen-op-Zoom (1588)|first in 1588]], and by [[Ambrosio Spinola, marqués de los Balbases|Ambrosio Spinola]] [[Siege of Bergen op Zoom (1622)|a second time in 1622]]. Both sieges were unsuccessful, and Bergen op Zoom got the nickname ''La Pucelle'' or ''The Virgin'' as it was never successfully taken in a siege.

In 1747, during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]], the [[French Army|French army]] [[Siege of Bergen op Zoom (1747)|laid siege]] to the city. Bergen op Zoom had been fortified by new works built at the beginning of the 17th century by [[Menno van Coehoorn]], with three forts surrounding the city and a canalized diversion of the [[Scheldt]] acting as a ditch around its walls. However, it had no second line of fortifications, nor any [[Fortification|fortress]]. After seventy days of siege, the city was taken and thoroughly [[Looting|sacked]]; the garrison was slaughtered.

During the [[War of the Sixth Coalition]], the town was [[Siege of Bergen op Zoom (1814)|again besieged]] by the British in March 1814 in a failed attempt to dislodge the French garrison.

===Trading town===
During the reign of Jan II van Glymes (1417–1494), nicknamed "Jan metten Lippen" (meaning "Jan with the big lips", probably caused by an infection), a surge in economic growth occurred in the city. Large fairs were held twice a year, in spring and fall, that were known both nationally and internationally. Merchants from all over Europe came to Bergen op Zoom to sell their goods.

Because of this major economic growth, the Sint-Gertrudischurch was enlarged. The enlargement was called the ''Nieuw Werck'' but was never finished, because of the economic recession of the mid-16th century. It fell into ruin. The economic recession was largely caused by the poor accessibility of the port, due to a number of floods in Zeeland and West-Brabant.  Because of the great reliance on the port, the economic growth received a major blow. In addition, the modernization of trade techniques, such as establishing of a permanent stock exchange instead of the fairs, which took place twice a year, also damaged the local economy.

The fairs continued until 1910. Despite the end of the two big fairs, Bergen op Zoom still hosts all kinds of smaller fairs and events.

===Religion===
During the [[Eighty Years' War]], Bergen op Zoom chose the side of the Dutch Republic, and, simultaneously, Protestantism. The Catholics of the city either adapted or moved to the surrounding countryside, which remained largely Catholic. The inhabitants who chose to stay Catholic went to church in secret barns and houses, since the local Sint-Getrudischurch was assigned to the Protestant community.

Slowly, most of the city council members of Bergen op Zoom became Protestant. Protestants dominated the council until the 18th century. After that, the number of Catholics in Bergen op Zoom increased and, during the second part of the 18th century, a majority of Bergen op Zoom's population was Catholic again. Although the Catholics enjoyed religious freedom during the French period in 1795–1814, their emancipation did not take place until later.

In 1832, a Catholic parish, the ‘Heilige Maagd ten Ophemeling’, was allowed to have its own church. In the same period, the Jewish community built a synagogue for their use. 

In 1972, the Protestant community, after the loss of many members, gave the Sint-Getrudischurch to the Catholic parish. Since the return of the Church, Catholic services have been held here again.

As a result of [[Turks in the Netherlands|Turkish]] and [[Moroccans in the Netherlands|Moroccan]] immigration to the Netherlands, the city has a significant Muslim minority.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Statistiek |first=Centraal Bureau voor de |date=2016-12-22 |title=Helft Nederlanders is kerkelijk of religieus |url=https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2016/51/helft-nederlanders-is-kerkelijk-of-religieus |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek |language=nl-NL}}</ref>

==Population centres==
*'''Bergen op Zoom''' (population: 65,691, July 2006)
**[[Heimolen]]
**[[Halsteren]] (11,410)
**[[Lepelstraat]] (2,070)
**[[Kladde]]

==City of Bergen op Zoom==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Bergen op zoom 008.jpg|Gevangenpoort, the oldest monument in Bergen op Zoom
File:Bergen op zoom 005.jpg|Grote Markt
File:Bergen op Zoom, Sint Gertrudiskerk foto2 2010-09-11 09.11.JPG|[[Gertrudiskerk]]
File:Bergen op Zoom, fontein en brug in Anton van Duinkerkenpark foto6 2015-05-24 10.54.jpg|Bergen op Zoom, fountain and bridge in park
File:The Marketplace in Bergen op Zoom E11381.jpg|''The Marketplace at Bergen op Zoom''. Attributed to Abel Grimmer, 1590s. National Gallery of Art, Washington.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Collection: The Marketplace in Bergen op Zoom|url=https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.57418.html|url-status=live|access-date=24 July 2021|website=National Gallery of Art|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803084641/https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.57418.html |archive-date=2020-08-03 }}</ref>
</gallery>
The Markiezenhof Palace, built in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, houses a [[Cultural center|cultural centre]] and a museum with a picturesque courtyard, paintings, period rooms, and temporary exhibitions.
[[SABIC]] Innovative Plastics operates a major manufacturing facility in Bergen op Zoom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=6441056|title=SAIC Innovative Plastics B.V|publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|access-date=2015-03-10}}</ref> [[Philip Morris International|Philip Morris]] was another major employer until it closed its plant in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303532704579480981958225764|title=Tobacco Firm Philip Morris to End Production in Netherlands|publisher=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=2015-03-10|date=2014-04-04}}</ref>

The oldest [[hotel]] in the [[Netherlands]], [[Hotel de Draak|Hotel De Draak]], which was founded in 1397, is located in the historic center of the city. The current building is from 1500 and is a protected monument.

==Transport==
*[[Bergen op Zoom railway station]]

== Notable people ==
[[File:Portrait of Jacob Obrecht (incl. frame).jpg|140px|thumb|Jacob Obrecht, 1496]]
[[File:Holbein-erasmus.jpg|140px|thumb|Erasmus, 1523]]
[[File:Willeboirts bosschaert zelfportrait.jpg|140px|thumb|Willeboirts Bosschaert, 1637]]
=== The arts ===
* [[Jacob Obrecht]] (1457–1505)  composer, mainly of sacred music
* [[Desiderius Erasmus]] (1466–1536) humanist, philosopher, author<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Erasmus,_Desiderius |volume=9 |short=x}}</ref>
* [[Abel Grimmer]] (1570–1619) a Flemish late Renaissance painter, mainly of landscapes 
* [[Gerrit Houckgeest]] (1600–1661) a [[Dutch Golden Age]] painter of architectural scenes and church interiors
* [[Bartram de Fouchier]] (1609–1673) a [[Dutch Golden Age]] painter
* [[Marcus Zuerius van Boxhorn]] (1612–1653) historian, author and scholar
* [[Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert]] (1613–1654) a [[Flemish Baroque painter]] 
* [[Pieter van der Willigen]] (1634–1694) a [[Flemish Baroque painter]]
* [[Govert-Marinus Augustijn]] (1871–1963) a Dutch [[Art Nouveau]] potter
* [[Kees Smout]] (1876–1961) a Dutch sculptor
* [[Anton van Duinkerken]] (1903–1968) a Dutch poet, essayist and academic
* [[Louis Boekhout]] (1919–2012) a Dutch painter who emigrated to Québec, Canada
* [[Pleuni Touw]] (born 1938) a Dutch film, television and theatre actress<ref> [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0869777/  IMDb Database] retrieved 07 October 2019 </ref>
* [[Adriaan Ditvoorst]] (1940–1987) a Dutch film director, screenwriter<ref> [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0228597/  IMDb Database] retrieved 06 October 2019 </ref>
* [[Cornald Maas]] (born 1967) a Dutch television presenter 
* [[Martin Fondse]] (born 1967) a Dutch pianist and composer who plays the vibrandoneon
* [[Bob van Luijt]] (born 1985) a Dutch technology entrepreneur, technologist and new media artist
* [[Julia Boschman]] (born 2002) a Dutch singer in famous girl group K3

=== Public thinking and public service ===
* [[Pieter Gerardus van Overstraten]] (1755–1801) last [[Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies]]
* [[Gerrit Verdooren van Asperen]] (1757–1824) vice-admiral of the [[Royal Netherlands Navy]]
* [[Jacob Van Braam]] (1729–1792) a soldier of fortune, swordmaster and mercenary.<ref>{{Cite Americana|wstitle= Van Braam, Jacob |volume= XXVII |short=1 }}</ref>
* [[Gillis Pieter de Neve]] (1823–1883) commander of the [[Royal Netherlands East Indies Army]] 
* [[Albert Vogel]] (1874–1933) a Dutch Army officer and teacher
* [[Peter Sitsen]] (1885–1945) a military officer, building contractor and public servant in colonial Indonesia
* [[Ed Nijpels]] (born 1950) a retired Dutch politician
* [[Virginie Korte-van Hemel]] (1929–2014) a Dutch politician
* [[Bernard de Wit]] (born 1945) a Dutch theoretical physicist and academic
* [[Paul Schnabel]] (born 1948) a Dutch sociologist, academic and politician
* [[Wim Crusio]] (born 1954) a Dutch behavioral [[neurogeneticist]] and academic
* [[Fatma Koşer Kaya]] (born 1968) a Dutch lawyer and politician of Turkish origin

=== Sports ===
[[File:Rico-verhoeven.jpg|140px|thumb|Rico Verhoeven, 2009]]
* [[Reindert de Favauge]] (1872–1949) a sport shooter, competed at the [[1908 Summer Olympics|1908]] and [[1920 Summer Olympics]] 
* [[Henk Kersken]] (1880–1967) a sailor who competed at the [[1928 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Barent Momma]] (1897–1936) a modern pentathlete, competed at the [[1924 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Willem van Rhijn]] (1903–1979) a modern pentathlete, competed at the [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928]] and [[1932 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Janus van der Zande]] (1924–2016) a marathon runner, competed in the [[1952 Summer Olympics]] 
* [[Maarten Sikking]] (1948–2009) a field hockey goalkeeper, competed at the [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972]] and [[1976 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Rico Verhoeven]] (born 1989) a kickboxer
* [[Oussama Idrissi]] (born 1996) a footballer

==Twin towns — sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Netherlands}}
Bergen op Zoom is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Stichting Jumelage Bergen op Zoom|url=https://www.jumelagebergenopzoom.nl/|publisher=Stichting Jumelage Bergen op Zoom|language=nl|access-date=2024-06-15}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Oudenaarde]], Belgium
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Szczecinek]], Poland
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Edmonton]], Canada

==See also==
* [[12709 Bergen op Zoom]]
* [[Fort de Roovere]]
* [[Black Death#Epidemiology|Black Death]]
* [[Crusio (ice cream parlor)]]
* [[Merck toch hoe sterck]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{EB1911 poster|Bergen-op-Zoom}}
* ''A Ballad on the Taking of Bergen-Op Zoom''. London: M. Cooper, 1747.
* ''Merck toch hoe sterck''. The anthem of the city: A. Valerius, 1626.
* Bot, Marie-Louise, and Gouke J. Bonsel. ''The Bergen Op Zoom-Quality of Life Survey: A Dutch Contribution to the Collaborative Study of the European Common Core Group''. Rotterdam: Dept. of Public Health and Social Medicine/Institute for Medical Technology Assessment, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 1989. {{ISBN|90-72245-45-8}}
* Edler, Florence. ''Attendance at the Fairs of Bergen-Op-Zoom 1538–1544''. Bergen op Zoom: [s.n.], 1936.
* Smyth, James Carmichael. ''Plans of the Attacks Upon Antwerp, Bergen-Op-Zoom, Cambray, Peronne, Maubeuge, Landrecy, Marienbourg, Philippeville and Rocroy, By the British and Prussian Armies in the Campaigns of 1814 and of 1815''. 1817.
* ''1939–1945 The War Dead of the Commonwealth: The Register of the Names of Those Who Fell and Are Buried in Cemeteries in the Netherlands: Bergen Op Zoom Canadian War Cemetery''. Maidenhead: Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 1994.

==External links==
{{wikivoyage|Bergen op Zoom}}
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.bergenopzoom.nl Official website]

{{Geographic location
 | Centre    = Bergen op Zoom
 | North     = [[Steenbergen]]
 | East      = [[Roosendaal]]
 | South     = [[Woensdrecht]]
 | Southwest = [[Reimerswaal (municipality)|Reimerswaal]] ([[Zeeland|ZE]])
 | West      = ''[[Oosterschelde|Eastern Scheldt]]''
 | Northwest = [[Tholen]] ([[Zeeland|ZE]])
}}
{{North Brabant Province}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergen Op Zoom}}
[[Category:Bergen op Zoom| ]]
[[Category:Cities in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Municipalities of North Brabant]]
[[Category:Populated places in North Brabant]]