Roosendaal

Roosendaal
Municipality
Aerial view of Roosendaal
Flag Coat of arms
Location in North Brabant
Coordinates:
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Brabant
Government
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Jacques Niederer (VVD)
Area
• Total	107.16 km2 (41.37 sq mi)
• Land	106.42 km2 (41.09 sq mi)
• Water	0.74 km2 (0.29 sq mi)
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population (May 2014)
• Total	76,959
• Density	723/km2 (1,870/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Roosendaler, Roosendaalder
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode	4700–4709, 4724–4727
Area code	0165
Website	www.roosendaal.nl

Dutch Topographic map of Roosendaal (place), as of March 2014.

Roosendaal [ˈroːzə(n)daːl] is both a city and a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant.

Towns/villages of the municipality

• Roosendaal (population: 66,760)
• Wouw (4,920)
• Heerle (1,900)
• Nispen (1,440)
• Wouwse Plantage (1,230)
• Moerstraten (660)

The city of Roosendaal

Roosendaal goes back to the 12th and 13th century. The name Rosendaele was first mentioned in a document of 1268. Roosendaal was always a part of North Brabant. In the Middle Ages, Roosendaal grew as a result of the turf business, but the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) put an end to the growth as Roosendaal and Wouw were suffering from itinerant combat troops that plundered and ravaged everything they came across. For decades the countryside of Roosendaal was abandoned.

Under King Lodewijk Napoléon of the Kingdom of Holland, Roosendaal received city rights in 1809.

The leading soccer team of the city is RBC Roosendaal.

The official International ABBA Fan club has been based in Roosendaal since 1986, and since the turn of the century, the city has also played host to the annual convention of the International ABBA Fan Club where for one weekend every April, hundreds of people from all over the world attend the event.

Nispen merged with Roosendaal to form the municipality Roosendaal en Nispen. On 1 January 1997 the municipalities Roosendaal en Nispen and Wouw merged into the municipality now simply known as Roosendaal.

Transport

• Railway station: Roosendaal

The city serves as a regional railway hub: the Zwolle-Roosendaal Intercity service starts and ends here, the international train from Amsterdam to Brussels calls at Roosendaal, as does the Amsterdam-Vlissingen (Flushing) intercity. There is also a stop-train service to Antwerp.

Medical Care

The Bravis Ziekenhuis Roosendaal is the main general hospital for residents of Roosendaal and surrounding areas. Bravis Ziekenhuis offers specialised medical care provided by a broad team of medical specialists. Special units include: Cardiology, Dermatology, Gynaecology, Oncology, Ophthalmology and Intensive Care.

Events in Roosendaal

• Carnaval
• Draai van de Kaai cycling race
• Annual "International ABBA Day" - A weekend-long event, normally each April, operated by ABBA's official Fan Club which is based in Roosendaal.

Notable residents

• Hendrick Lonck (born 1568), sea captain
• Harry Broos (1898–1954), sprinter
• Antoine Mazairac (1901–1966), cyclist
• Fons Rademakers (1920–2007), filmmaker
• George Knobel (1922-2012), footballer
• Jean Defraigne (born 1929), politician
• Jack van Poll (born 1934), jazz pianist
• Theo Laseroms (1940–1991), footballer
• Ad Konings (born 1956), ichthyologist
• Hein Van de Geyn (born 1956), jazz bassist
• Joost Lagendijk (born 1957), politician
• Ben van Beurden (born 1958), CEO, Shell
• Ronny Moorings (born 1961), musician
• Ingrid van Lubek (born 1971), triathlete
• Jeroen van Damme (born 1972), runner
• Korbett Matthews (born 1972 ), documentary filmmaker, teacher
• Bram Lomans (born 1975), hockey player
• Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre (born 1978), film animator

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website