Aardam

Vrijhoeven (also Vrijenhoeven or De Vrijen Hoef) is a former hamlet and former municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located about 2 km south of the village of Ter Aar. According to historian Abraham Jacob van der Aa, Vrijhoeven was a part of the heerlijkheid (manorial fief) of Aarlanderveen in the middle of the sixteenth century. In 1625 it became a separate jurisdiction. A gallows was located here, close to one of the mills of Aarlanderveen, which was named "Galgmolen" (Gallows mill).When the municipal system was introduced in the Netherlands in 1812, Vrijhoeven became a part of the municipality of Ter Aar, but in 1817, Vrijhoeven became a separate municipality again. The municipality was very small: its area was 0.77 km². It consisted of the area between the Schoutenvaart and the current Korteraarseweg in Aarlanderveen. There were only five houses, and the population consisted of 40 people, mostly farmers.The municipality existed between 1817 and 1841, when it became part of Ter Aar again. In 1997 Vrijhoeven was still mentioned as a hamlet in the municipality of Ter Aar, but it is no longer shown on more recent topographical maps.

Ter Aar (Dutch pronunciation: [tɛr ˈaːr] (listen)) is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is located about 6 km northeast of Alphen aan den Rijn. The town had a population of 9,007 on 1 July 2006. The area of Ter Aar is divided into two parts by the small canal De Aar. The western, larger part is named Langeraar (Long Aar), the eastern part Korteraar (Short Aar). These are also the names of two villages in the area. In 1788, the former village of Langeraar was destroyed by a flood; a village of that name was rebuilt in the northern part of the area. At the former location of Langeraar, the new village of Aardam (52°9′57″N 4°42′40″E) was built, near a bridge across the Aar. The Kerkbuurt (Church Neighbourhood, 52°10′15″N 4°42′0″E) was located northwest of Aardam around the reformed church, which was built in 1568. The current village of Ter Aar is built around these two former villages. North of Aardam, the hamlet Papenveer grew around a ferry across the Aar. The municipality Ter Aar existed from 1812 to 2007. In 1817, the small municipality of Vrijhoeven was split of; it merged again with Ter Aar in 1841. In 2004, the municipality covered an area of 21.71 km2 (8.38 mile²) of which 2.34 km2 (0.90 mile²) was water. Its population was 9,010. Ter Aar was merged into the municipality of Nieuwkoop on 1 January 2007.

Ridderbuurt is a hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn, and lies about 2 km north of Alphen aan den Rijn. The statistical area "Ridderbuurt", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 120.

Aarlanderveen is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn, and lies about 4 km east of Alphen aan den Rijn. Aarlanderveen was a peat excavation settlement which developed in the Middle Ages. The Catholic St Peter and Paul Church is a three aisled basilica-like church built by Joseph Cuypers between 1893 and 1894. There are five wind mills near Aarlaanderveen.Aarlanderveen was a separate municipality until 1918, when it became part of Alphen aan den Rijn.The area around the village is a natural landscape that is rich in grassland birds like plovers, godwits and redshanks. There are also many flower rich banks including spearwort, water and field mint, ragged robin and marsh thistle.

Oudshoorn is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It was located on the Oude Rijn, opposite the village of Alphen, with which it merged to form the city of Alphen aan den Rijn. Oudshoorn was a separate municipality until 1918, when it became part of Alphen aan den Rijn.

Alphen aan den Rijn (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑlfə(n) aːn də(n) ˈrɛin] (listen); English: "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, between Leiden and Utrecht. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the river Gouwe branches off. The municipality had a population of 110,986 in 2019, and covers an area of 132.50 km2 (51.16 sq mi) of which 6.27 km2 (2.42 sq mi) is water. The municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn also includes the communities of Aarlanderveen, Zwammerdam, and Boskoop. The city is located in what is called the 'Green Heart' of the Netherlands, which is a somewhat less densely populated centre area of the Randstad. The name "Alphen" is probably derived from the name of the Roman fort Albaniana, meaning "settlement at the white water". Its remains still lie underneath the city centre.

The Groene Hart (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈxrunə ˈɦɑrt]; English: Green Heart) is a relatively thinly populated area of the Netherlands covering much of the middle portion of the Randstad megalopolis. The major Dutch cities of Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Haarlem, Amsterdam and Utrecht surround this area. Cities inside the Groene Hart include Zoetermeer, Alphen aan den Rijn, Gouda, Woerden and the smaller cities of Schoonhoven, Oudewater, Haastrecht, Nieuwkoop, Montfoort, Waddinxveen, Bodegraven and Boskoop. The Groene Hart is characterised by its rural character which contrasts the urban areas around it. Agriculture, nature and recreation are the primary activities in the Groene Hart. Residents and urban visitors can often find rest and many green spaces. Mills, dikes and Dutch cows are the primary landmarks of this lowland area. Thanks to the various separated cycle paths in the Groene Hart, the area can very well be explored by bike. The Groene Hart is of major importance to consolidate the number of Dutch meadow birds. The bird species black-tailed godwit, northern lapwing and Eurasian oystercatcher can all be found in the area.

Papenveer is a small village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located in the municipality of Nieuwkoop, 2 km north of Ter Aar. The name "Papenveer" means "Catholics' ferry". When the Catholic Church in Korteraar closed in 1822, churchgoers had to cross the river De Aar to go to the church in Langeraar. A ferry was opened that was free for Catholics; everyone else had to pay. The village of Papenveer grew around this ferry. Currently, there is a bridge, the Papenveerse Brug, at the location of the former ferry.

Albaniana was the name the ancient Romans gave a settlement on the southern banks of Rhine river, some 40 kilometers from its mouth in the North Sea, known as Alfen and modern-day Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands. They did build a military fort (Latin: castellum) there, as part of a range strategically built encampments, to protect and guard the river, frontier (limes) of the Roman empire and main transport route of goods and troops. The historical map Tabula Peutingeriana situates the settlement in between Matilo (Leiden) and Praetorium Agrippinae (Valkenburg) downstream and Nigrum Pullum (Zwammerdam) and Fectio (Vechten) upstream. The village was mentioned in Antoninus' register of roads Itinerarium Antonini from the 3rd century. The fortress must have been surrounded by a wall of ground and wooden poles, with gates and watch towers.

The Ashram College is a Dutch high school located in Alphen aan den Rijn and Nieuwkoop. It was established in 1929. The school offers VWO excluding or including the classical languages Latin and Greek, HAVO and VMBO-T. Ashram College is a Catholic school.

Alphen a/d Rijn railway station is a railway station in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands.

Alphen was a municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland. It consisted of the village of Alphen; now called Alphen aan den Rijn. That village was much smaller than the current town; the municipality only contained the part south of the Oude Rijn. The municipality existed until 1918, when it merged with Aarlanderveen and Oudshoorn.