Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Hilversum
Hilversum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands. Located in the region called "Het Gooi", it's the biggest town there. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages.
The town Hilversum
Hilversum lies some 30 km south-east of Amsterdam and 25 km north of Utrecht.
The town is often called "media city" as it is the principal centre for radio and television broadcasting in the Netherlands. Radio Netherlands, heard worldwide via shortwave radio since the 1920s, is based here. Hilversum is home to an extensive complex of audio and television studios belonging to the national broadcast production company NOB, as well as to the studios and offices of all the Dutch public broadcasting organizations and many commercial TV production companies too.
Hilversum is also known for its architecturally important "Raadhuis" or town hall, designed by Willem Dudok (1884-1974).
The town has three railway stations: Hilversum Noord, Hilversum and Hilversum Sportpark, as well as a small airport a few km to the south.
History
Hilversum started out as nothing but a big slab of land used for agriculture. Around 900 it started to form, but it wasn't until 1305 that the first official mention of Hilversum ("Hilfershem") was made. At this point in time, it was a part of Laren, the oldest town in the Gooi area.
Some believe that Hilversum was built by the Belgians when they fled from the Spanish troops, but some official documents clearly define that the area now called Hilversum was used as nothing but farmland to provide Amsterdam with food. In March 1424, Hilversum received its most coveted official independent status. This caused some growth in the town, which was still nothing but an agricultural hovel. In 1725 and 1766, big fires destroyed most of the town, levelling parts of the old townhouse and the church next to it. In 1964, the inhabitant count reached a record high - over 103.000 people were living there. At the moment it fluctuates around 84.000
In 2002, the popular Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was murdered after finishing a radio interview in Hilversum.
External links
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