Editing Vlaardingen (section)

==History==
The area around Vlaardingen was already settled by about 2900 to 2600 BC. In 1990, a skeleton dated around 1300 BC was dug up in the edge of Vlaardingen. Some human nuclear [[DNA]] was identified, the oldest found anywhere in the Netherlands. In [[Roman Age|Roman times]] a stronghold or [[vicus]] named ''Flenio'' may have been on the site of modern Vlaardingen.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aentry%3Dflenio-geo |title=Flenio |publisher=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography |year=1854 |access-date= 27 May 2024}}</ref> Between roughly 250 AD and 700 AD the region seems to have been uninhabited, like much of the west of the Netherlands. In 726 or 727 the area is again mentioned as ''In Pagio Marsum'', where a small church was established, around which Vlaardingen formed. The church is mentioned on a list of churches [[Willibrord]], the ''Apostle to the Frisians'', inhered to the [[Abbey of Echternach]].

In 1018, Vlaardingen was a stronghold of [[Dirk III, Count of Holland|Dirk III]], who levied an illegal toll on ships on the Meuse river. An army sent by [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor|German Emperor Henry II]] to stop this practice was defeated by Dirk III in the (First) [[Battle of Vlaardingen]]. In 1047, his successor [[Dirk IV, Count of Holland|Dirk IV]] repelled another such attack (Second Battle of Vlaardingen). The first of these battles was commemorated in 2018 by a [[historical reenactment]]

A flood disaster of December 21, 1163 (Saint Thomas Flood), ended the growth of Vlaardingen. The [[Count of Holland|Counts of Holland]] moved away and its development stagnated.

In 1273, Vlaardingen was granted [[town privileges]] by [[Floris V, Count of Holland]]. Older town privileges are possible, but not provable.

In 1574, during the [[Eighty Years War]] of Dutch independence, a group of [[Les Gueux|Watergeuzen]] burnt down Vlaardingen as commanded by [[William the Silent|William of Orange]] to prevent the Spanish from capturing the town. Vlaardingen later became a shipbuilding area and a significant harbour for the [[herring]] fishing industry. The fishing boats (originally "haringbuizen", later also "sloepen" and "loggers") ceased to use Vlaardingen in the years after [[World War II]].

In 1855, the former municipality of [[Zouteveen]] was merged into the municipality [[Vlaardingerambacht]] which in turn was merged with Vlaardingen in 1941 during the German occupation of the Netherlands.

Because of industrialization in and close to Vlaardingen, the town suffered from heavy air pollution and, sometimes, pathogenic smog during the 1970s. One day, a high school had to be closed because of the smog. Many environmental groups arose in and around Vlaardingen as it was seen as one of the most polluted cities of the country.
 
Vlaardingen consists of eight districts/neighbourhoods:
#Vlaardingen Centrum
#Westwijk
#Vettenoordse polder (includes industry)
#Vlaardingen Oost
#Ambacht/Babberspolder
#Holy Zuid
#Holy Noord
#Broekpolder