Kockengen Explained

Kockengen
Settlement Type:Village
Native Name Lang:nl
Image Map1:Map NL - Breukelen - Kockengen.png
Map Caption1:The village centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Kockengen in the former municipality of Breukelen.-->
Pushpin Map:Netherlands Utrecht#Netherlands
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the Netherlands
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Netherlands
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Utrecht
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2:Stichtse Vecht
Coordinates:52.1517°N 4.9522°W
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Elevation M:-0.5
Area Total Km2:19.47
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:3,445
Population As Of:2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:3628
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:0346

Kockengen is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Stichtse Vecht, and lies about 11 km northeast of Woerden.

The name of the village is a reference to Cockaigne, a medieval fictional land of plenty.[3]

Until 1989, Kockengen was a separate municipality. From then until 2011 it was part of the municipality of Breukelen.

History

The village was first mentioned around 1307 as Cokanghen. It started as a 12th-century as a cultivation concession, and the name was probably chosen to attract farmers.[4] Many of the early settlers were serfs from France. In the 14th century a church was built. The tower dates from 1635. During the 17th century, it was prosperous village, due to good water connections to Amsterdam and Utrecht.[5] In 1840, Kockengen was home to 677 people.[6]

The is a polder mill, a pumping station to drain the excess water from the polder, which was constructed in 1653. In 1675, it was redesigned. The wind mill remained in service until 1962 when it was replaced by an electric pumping station, however it still serves as an emergency backup.[7]

Notable people

References

  1. Web site: Postcodetool for 3628AA . nl . Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland . Het Waterschapshuis . 27 March 2022 .
  2. Web site: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021 . Central Bureau of Statistics . 27 March 2022.
  3. Herman Pleij, Book: Dreaming of Cockaigne: Medieval Fantasies of the Perfect Life . Columbia University Press . July 2003 . 398-400.
  4. Web site: Kockengen - (geografische naam) . Etymologiebank . 27 March 2022 . nl.
  5. Book: Kockengen . Ronald Stenvert & Chris Kolman . 1996 . Waanders . Zwolle . 90-400-9757-7 . nl . 27 March 2022.
  6. Web site: Kockengen . Plaatsengids . 27 March 2022 . nl.
  7. Web site: Kockengense Molen . Molen database . 27 March 2022 . nl.