Gouderak

Gouderak is a small village that falls under the municipality of Krimpenerwaard in the province of South Holland, located on the Hollandse IJssel and borders Gouda, Moordrecht and the Achterbroek. Between Gouderak and Moordrecht a ferry connection is maintained over the Hollandse IJssel.

In the year 1274 one encounters the name "Gouderak" for the first time. A rak is a straight stretch in a river between two bends. The name comes from the skippers on the Hollandse IJssel, who spoke of the Goudsche Rak. In the 15th century, animal husbandry began to develop as a means of subsistence. Two centuries later, the industry in the form of rope butcheries and brick kilns occupies an important place in Gouderak. In addition, there are the reed mat factory and the shipyards. In the heyday of Gouderak there were 8 brick kilns, 22 rope butcheries, a grutterij and a grist mill. How small Gouderak was can be seen from an old population statement in which it is stated that there were no more than about 50 houses in the village. In 1632 there were about 70 with a population of 400. The church was built in 1658. The first stone was laid by the children of the then rear admiral Johan Brouk.

The Gouderakkers were also called stone throwers. This invective probably dates back to the 16th century. The Gouderakkers would then, in the absence of 'real' weapons, have attacked the enemy with stones. Another nickname is rakkers. Here the nickname of the place name will be derived. In other places, the inhabitants are called rakkers, because the youth there at the time was rather rowdy and pugnacious. Another nickname is peel eaters. The Gouderakkers were so poor at the time that they cooked and ate the potato peels. Later, it was the more affluent who did.

20TH CENTURY

In the early eighties Gouderak gained international fame because of a major poison affair. A district with almost a hundred houses turned out to be heavily contaminated by chemical waste that had been dumped in a shallow part of the river (a 'zelling') in the late fifties and on which a residential area, the Zellingwijk, had subsequently been built. The houses had to be demolished. The area has been rehabilitated, and new homes were built from April 2010. The work was completed in 2011

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