Editing Nijkerk (section)

== The city of Nijkerk ==
[[File:Gem-Nijkerk-OpenTopo.jpg|thumb|Map of Nijkerk, June 2015]]
The name Nijkerk stems from Nieuwe Kerk (Dutch for New Church). This new church was built after the old chapel had been destroyed by fire in 1221. Nijkerk was strategically located between the [[Duchy of Guelders]] ''(Dutch: Hertogdom Gelre)'' and the [[Prince-Bishopric of Utrecht|Bishopric of Utrecht]]. Because of this strategic location Nijkerk regularly was the scene of war, and in 1412 the village was completely destroyed. It was restored and Nijkerk received [[City rights in the Netherlands|city rights]] in 1413. In 1421 the church that gave Nijkerk its name burnt down and was replaced; this happened several times, until a new church, the ''Grote-of-Sint-Catharinakerk''; was built in the 18th century. It still stands today. The organ in this church was built in 1756 by [[Mathijs van Deventer]].

In the 18th century Nijkerk was a flourishing merchant city. Several inhabitants traveled to the [[New World]], including [[Arent van Curler]] and [[Kiliaen van Rensselaer (Dutch merchant)|Kiliaen van Rensselaer]] and founded new cities.

Since [[World War II]], Nijkerk has grown rapidly. It is situated on the (former) shore of the [[IJsselmeer]], which allows for transportation of goods via ships, and in the proximity of two major motorways, the [[European route E30|E30]] (A1) and [[European route E232|E232]] (A28). This allowed local industries to grow, and also encouraged people who work in the nearby [[Randstad]] to move to the more rural and peaceful town of Nijkerk.