Groene Hart

Zwammerdam is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland along Oude Rijn river. It is a part of the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn, and lies about 6 km southeast of Alphen aan de Rijn. The name derives from a dam built in the Rhine river in 1165 AD by Count Floris III of Holland, to protect the land stream downwards from floods. In 2020, the village of Zwammerdam had 1850 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 62 km², and contained 484 residences. The statistical area "Zwammerdam", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 1810.Zwammerdam was a separate municipality until 1964, when it was divided between Alphen aan den Rijn and Bodegraven. The town is the current home of the Jostiband Orchestra. The ancient Romans did build fortress (castrum) Nigrum Pullum as part of the defence system of the Roman Empire northern frontier (Limes Germanicus) close to what now Zwammerdam is. In the 1970s during groundwork for the building of a new caregiving residence, remains were found of wooden ships from the Roman period. Extensive archeological excavations brought up six ships of different sizes, known as Schepen van Zwammerdam, now exhibited at the nearby open-air museum Archeon.

Esveld Aceretum is (in the number of species and cultivars under cultivation at the site) the largest collection of maples in the world. The aceretum is part of PlantenTuin Esveld, a family-owned commercial nursery in Boskoop, Netherlands, that was founded in 1865. The term "aceretum" describes an arboretum devoted to maple trees and shrubs, i.e. plants belonging to the genus Acer. The aceretum was founded in the early 1970s, anchored by a giant specimen of Acer shirasawanum that was already about one century old. The aceretum now holds over 600 varieties of maples and is the holder of the Dutch Plant Collections of Acer. PlantenTuin Esveld is the holder of the national collections of several other Genus of plants as well.

Aardam is a former hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland and is now incorporated into the town Ter Aar, part of the municipality Nieuwkoop.

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.

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.

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

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.

Tempel, also known as De Tempel, is a former municipality and former manorial estate in the Dutch province of South Holland. It was located about 3 km southwest of the center of the current village of Berkel en Rodenrijs. According to the 19th-century historian A.J. van der Aa, Tempel was named after a manor house that used to be located in the area. around the beginning of the 19th century, the house was long gone. In nearby Overschie an estate can be found where in the 18th century the owner of Tempel used to live. He acquired it in 1715, after which the house Berkeloord was renamed to De Tempel. The manorial rights of Tempel were also applicable at the estate, even though it was located outside of its territory. After the introduction of the municipal system by the French in 1812, the area belonged to the municipality of Pijnacker, even though it was completely surrounded by the territory of Berkel en Rodenrijs. In 1817, the manorial rights were restored, and Tempel became a separate municipality, although it was very small (only 0.109 km2) and had no inhabitants. This was not a problem, as long as the lord of the area was prepared to pay for the municipal government. In 1855, the municipality became part of Berkel en Rodenrijs. Since 2007, Tempel is a part of Lansingerland, when Berkel en Rodenrijs merged with Bergschenhoek and Bleiswijk. The coat of arms of the manor and former municipality of Tempel depict a silver portal (i.e. a temple entrance), on a shield of gules. The flag is an armorial banner, with the portal placed off-center, towards the hoist.

Brouwerij De Molen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌbrʌwəˈrɛi̯ də ˈmoːlə(n)]) is a small brewery, distillery and restaurant in Bodegraven, the Netherlands. The brewery, whose name means The Mill, is in a windmill called De Arkduif, built in 1697. The premises also include the brewery taproom and a retail beer store offering European and American craft beers, as well as regional products such as farm cheese. Having started out as a homebrewer, and after stints at several small breweries, head brewer Menno Olivier worked professionally at Stadsbrouwerij De Pelgrim in Rotterdam before founding De Molen in 2004. De Molen has participated in joint projects with other breweries such as Mikkeller and De Struise Brouwers. They have also participated in re-creations of historic beer recipes, such as those of the defunct British brewery Barclay Perkins.

Tempel is a hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the former municipality of Reeuwijk, and lies about 6 km north of Gouda. The statistical area "Tempel", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 200.