Soest, Netherlands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 52°11′N, 5°18′E
Soest

Country	Netherlands
Province	Utrecht
Area (2006)
- Municipality	46.45 km² (17.9 sq mi)
- Land	46.26 km² (17.9 sq mi)
- Water	0.19 km² (0.1 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2007)
- Municipality	45,346
- Density	980/km² (2,538.2/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

This article is about the Dutch town and municipality. There is also a town called Soest in Germany, see Soest, Germany.

Soest is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is located about 6 km west of Amersfoort.

1 Population centres
2 The town of Soest
3 Transport
4 External links

[edit] Population centres

[edit] The town of Soest

Soest is at least 975 years old. The oldest documents mentioning Soest (then written as Zoys) date from 1029. Its oldest church (the Oude Kerk, meaning Old Church), which is still in use today, dates from the 15th century.Traces of earlier habitation are found though. The area of "Hees", now at the outskirts of Soest may date in to the Early Middle Ages, and prehistoric burial mounds in the Soesterduinen point to early habitation in this area.

Medieval agricultural activity is still visible as there is much farmland within Soest. The biggest area is in the center of the town, on a hill, and are called 'de Engh'. A small street is 'het Kerkepad'. The Soesterduinen, in the South, sanddunes, are worth visiting.

[edit] Transport

Soest can be reached by train (every half hour) from Utrecht (:09 and :39) and Baarn (:23 and :53); all trains stop at the three stations, Soest Zuid, Soest and Soestdijk. The station of Soestduinen situated on the railroad between Utrecht and Amersfoort was closed in 1998, after being in service for 135 years.

Soest has a number of bus stops and three bus lines, all of which leave from the bus station at Soest Zuid exactly at the half hour. Line 1 and 2 are local buses that do not leave Soest. Line 70, however, travels both directions to Amersfoort and Hilversum. Recently, this line includes Leusden.

[edit] External links

Official Website (in Dutch)
Map
History of transportation in Soest by Nico Spilt.

Utrecht Province
Abcoude \| Amersfoort \| Baarn \| Breukelen \| Bunnik \| Bunschoten \| De Bilt \| De Ronde Venen \| Eemnes \| Houten \| IJsselstein \| Leusden \| Loenen \| Lopik \| Maarssen \| Montfoort \| Nieuwegein \| Oudewater \| Renswoude \| Rhenen \| Soest \| Utrecht \| Utrechtse Heuvelrug \| Veenendaal \| Vianen \| Wijk bij Duurstede \| Woerden \| Woudenberg \| Zeist
Netherlands \| Provinces \| Municipalities \| map