Editing Hardinxveld-Giessendam

{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
<!-- Name and transliteration -->
| name                    = Hardinxveld-Giessendam
| settlement_type         = [[List of municipalities of the Netherlands|Municipality]]
<!-- Images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline           = Hardinxveld Watertoren 6853.JPG
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = {{Interlanguage link multi|Water tower Hardinxveld|nl|3=Watertoren (Boven-Hardinxveld)}}
| image_flag              = Hardinxveldgiessendam flag.svg
| flag_size               = 100x67px
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Hardinxveld Giessendam wapen.svg
| shield_size             = 100x80px
| shield_alt              = 
<!-- Maps, coordinates -->
| image_map               = Map - NL - Municipality code 0523 (2009).svg
| map_alt                 = Highlighted position of Hardinxveld-Giessendam in a municipal map of South Holland
| map_caption             = Location in South Holland
| coordinates             = {{coord|51|49|N|4|50|E|region:NL|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[Netherlands]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Provinces of the Netherlands|Province]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[South Holland]]
| established_title       = Established
| established_date        = 1 January 1957<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.hardinxveld-giessendam.nl/over-hardinxveld-giessendam/historie_3707/
 |title       = Historie
 |trans-title=History
 |language    = nl
 |publisher   = Gemeente Hardinxveld-Giessendam
 |access-date  = 26 July 2013
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130510200824/http://www.hardinxveld-giessendam.nl/over-hardinxveld-giessendam/historie_3707/
 |archive-date = 10 May 2013
}}</ref>
| government_footnotes    = <ref name="mayor_now">{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.hardinxveld-giessendam.nl/bestuur-en-beleid/collegeleden_3795/
 |title       = Collegeleden
 |trans-title=Members of the board
 |language    = nl
 |publisher   = Gemeente Hardinxveld-Giessendam
 |access-date  = 26 July 2013
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130510200700/http://www.hardinxveld-giessendam.nl/bestuur-en-beleid/collegeleden_3795/
 |archive-date = 10 May 2013
}}</ref>
| governing_body          = [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|Municipal council]]
| leader_party            = [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]]
| leader_title            = [[Burgemeester|Mayor]]
| leader_name             = [[Dirk Heijkoop]]
<!-- Geographic information -->
| unit_pref               = Metric
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
<!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| area_footnotes          = <ref>{{Dutch municipality total area|dataref}}</ref>
<!-- square kilometers -->
| area_total_km2          = {{Dutch municipality total area|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}}
| area_land_km2           = {{Dutch municipality land area|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}}
| area_water_km2          = {{Dutch municipality water area|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}}
| elevation_footnotes     = <ref name="AHN">{{cite web 
 |url = http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool
 |title = Postcodetool for 3371AL
 |language = nl
 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> 
 |work = Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland
 |publisher = Het Waterschapshuis
 |access-date = 26 July 2013}}</ref>
| elevation_m             = 3
| elevation_max_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_max_m         =
| elevation_min_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_min_m         =
<!-- Population, demographics -->
| population_footnotes    = <ref>{{Dutch municipality population|dataref}}</ref>
| population_total        = {{Dutch municipality population|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}}
| population_as_of        = {{MONTHNAME|{{Dutch municipality population|popbasemonth}}}} {{Dutch municipality population|popbaseyear}}
| population_density_km2  = {{Dutch municipality population density|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}} <!-- For automatic calculation: auto-->
| population_demonym      = 
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal codes in the Netherlands|Postcode]]
| postal_code             = 3370–3373
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in the Netherlands|Area code]]
| area_code               = 0184
| website                 = {{URL|1=http://www.hardinxveld-giessendam.nl/}}
| footnotes               =
}}
[[File:Gem-Hardinxveld-Giessendam-OpenTopo.jpg|270px|thumb|''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Hardinxveld-Giessendam, June 2015'']]

'''Hardinxveld-Giessendam''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈɦɑrdɪŋksfɛlt ˌxisə(n)ˈdɑm|-|Nl-Hardinxveld-Giessendam.ogg}}){{efn|In isolation, ''Giessendam'' is pronounced {{IPA|nl|ˌɣisə(n)ˈdɑm|}}.}} is a municipality in the western [[Netherlands]], in the province of [[South Holland]]. It is located about 10&nbsp;km east of [[Dordrecht]], on the river [[Beneden-Merwede]]. The municipality had a population of {{formatnum:{{Dutch municipality population|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}}}} in {{YEAR|{{Dutch municipality population|popbaseyear}}}} and covers an area of {{convert|{{Dutch municipality total area|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}}|km2|abbr=on}} of which {{convert|{{Dutch municipality water area|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}}|km2|abbr=on}} is water.

The municipality of Hardinxveld-Giessendam consists of the two population centres Giessendam/Neder-Hardinxveld and Boven-Hardinxveld. Until they were merged in 1957,<ref>{{Repertorium Nederlandse Gemeenten}}</ref> Giessendam and Hardinxveld were two municipalities, consisting of only a few streets and dykes and only a few thousand inhabitants.

The town's economy is for a large part dependent on ship building (e.g. Damen Shipyards Group) and general contracting. Several industry parks are present.

==History ==
The village Hardinxveld is one of the oldest settlements of the [[Alblasserwaard]]. It is known that in 1105 a priest was present here, and therefore a church as well. Since 1282, Hardinxveld became a grand [[fiefdom]]. Through the centuries it suffered from warfare such as the Gelder Wars and the [[Eighty Years' War]]

The name Giessendam first appeared in 1231 and is most likely derived from the dam on the little peat river Giessen. This dam was the boundary between Hardinxveld and Giessendam for a long time.

The municipality was formed in 1957 by the merger of the former municipalities Hardinxveld and half of Giessendam. The rest of Giessendam's territory went to the new municipality of Giessenburg which in turn was merged with [[Giessenlanden]] in 1986.

Since the 1960s, the municipality has grown significantly through the development of new neighbourhoods such as De Peulen, de Wielwijk, de Westwijk, and Tienmorgen. In recent years, the municipality had serious fiscal problems, resulting in direct oversight by the Province for a period of time. Considerable savings had to be made, necessitating significant increases to the relative low taxation in the town.

==Archeology==
Before the construction of the [[Betuweroute]] Highspeed Railway, thorough soil research was performed in 1997. During that research in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, some archeological items were found, including a 7500-year-old skeleton of a woman, now named "Trijntje". It is the oldest skeleton found in the Netherlands up to this time. Since December 2003, the reconstructed corpse has been added to the collection of the [[Rijksmuseum van Oudheden]] (National Museum of Antiquities) in [[Leiden]]. In April 1998, a [[Dugout (boat)|dugout canoe]] was found.

==Transportation==
The [[Hardinxveld-Giessendam railway station]], on the [[Elst–Dordrecht railway]], is situated in the municipality.

== Notable people ==
{{stack|[[File:Job de Ruiter 1980 (1).jpg|100px|thumb|Job de Ruiter, 1980]]}}
* [[Job de Ruiter]] (1930 in Giessendam – 2015) a Dutch politician, diplomat and jurist
* [[Kommer Damen]] (born 1944) a Dutch billionaire, and the chairman of [[Damen Shipyards]]
* [[Bert de Ruijter]] (born 1952 in Hardinxveld) known as [[Leigh Blond]], is a Dutch composer, singer and songwriter. 
* [[Erik de Bruin]] (born 1963 in Hardinxveld-Giessendam) a record-holding retired Dutch discus thrower and shot putter
* [[Jaap Wolterbeek]] (born 1943 in Hardinxveld) Dutch photographer and cinematographer

== Gallery ==
<gallery mode=packed>
Image:Boven-Hardinxveld, kerk foto4 2010-06-27 14.14.JPG|Boven-Hardinxveld, church
Image:Hardinxveld-Giesendam, kerk2 foto7 2010-06-27 14.38.JPG|Hardinxveld-Giesendam, church
Image:Hardinxveld-Giesendam, kerk1 foto1 2010-06-27 14.48.JPG|Hardinxveld-Giesendam, church 
Image:Boven-Hardinxveld, sluis of gemaal foto2 2010-06-27 14.29.JPG|Boven-Hardinxveld, pumping-engine      
</gallery>
==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links==
{{Commons category|Hardinxveld-Giessendam}}
*[http://www.hardinxveld-giessendam.nl Official website]

<!--Please note that not all directions need to be filled-->
<!--Please note that preferably only neighboring municipalities or bodies of water should be used-->
{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Hardinxveld-Giessendam
|North     = [[Molenlanden]]
|East      = [[Gorinchem]]
|Southeast = ''[[Boven Merwede]]''<br/>[[Altena, North Brabant|Altena]]&nbsp;([[North Brabant|NB]])
|South     = ''[[Beneden Merwede]]''<br/>[[Dordrecht]]
|West      = [[Sliedrecht]]
}}

{{South Holland Province}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hardinxveld-Giessendam| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of South Holland]]
[[Category:Alblasserwaard]]