Vreeland

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For other uses, see Vreeland (disambiguation).

The village centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Vreeland in the municipality of Loenen.

Vreeland (52°14′N, 5°2′E) is a village in the Netherlands, located in the municipality of Loenen in the province of Utrecht. It is located on the river Vecht, about 2 km north of Loenen aan de Vecht. It received city rights in 1265. Vreeland is on the provincial road Vinkeveen-Hilversum (N201). Until 1964, Vreeland was a separate municipality.^[1]

In 2001, the village of Vreeland had 1339 inhabitants. The built-up area of the village was 0.30 km², and contained 557 residences.^[2] The statistical area "Vreeland", which also can include the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 1600.^[3]

[edit] Economy

Lindengracht in Vreeland

Vreeland is situated in the Vechtstreek, called after the river Vecht. It is surrounded by several lakes, including the Loosdrecht and Kortenhoef Lakes. River and lakes are used for water recreation. Several bike routes transverse the village, making it a touristic attraction when the weather is fine.

Two important hiking routes traverse the village: the "Floris de Vijfde" path and the "Waterlinie" path; they were opened in September 2004.

Vreeland has a Michelin star restaurant called "De Nederlanden", a pancake house "Noord-Brabant" and a cafeteria. On the fringes is a farm called "Ponderosa". The farm by itself is worth visiting and its owner organises a Country and Western festival in the beginning of July each year.

In summer there is a buzz from tourists on water as well on land. Almost every season has a festival or party, such as an Autumn Market, a Christmas Market and Queen's Day (April 30th).

[edit] References

^ Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, "Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten", KNAW, 2006. [1]
^ Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001. (Statistics are for the continuous built-up area).
^ Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Statline: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2003-2005. As of January 1, 2005.