IJsselstein

City on the Hollandse IJssel, originating at the IJsselstein castle. The growth of IJsselstein came at the expense of the village of Eiteren, from which it took over the parish seat in 1310.

The foundation of the church was initiated by Gijsbrecht van Amstel, who acquired significant rights in this area in 1279 and soon called himself lord of IJsselstein. The next lords of IJsselstein were Floris van Egmond and his son Maximiliaan van Egmond. The fourth lord is Prince Willem van Oranje. He married Anna van Buren, the daughter of Maximiliaan, and thus became Baron of IJsselstein. Around 1560, he had the Historical Town Hall built at De Plaats. It is not exactly known when the settlement was granted city rights.

This possibly happened before 1331, but perhaps only in 1360. IJsselstein was destroyed several times, in 1418 by the Utrechters and in 1466 by Gelderse gangs.

The city has a regular rectangular layout and is situated with one of its short sides on the IJssel. The moat that runs longitudinally through the city was presumably the southeastern part of the fortifications before 1390. Around 1390, IJsselstein may have been walled again, which also involved a considerable expansion on the southeastern side. The Nieuwpoort (now a new residential area) was included, approximately up to the current Paardenlaan. However, after the destruction of 1466, the urban area was reduced again, leaving only a narrow strip of Nieuwpoort within the new encirclement. The extent that IJsselstein had at that time was maintained well into the 19th century.

In 1551, IJsselstein came into the possession of the house of Orange-Nassau through the marriage of Anna van Egmond and Buren to Prince Willem van Oranje. Until 1795, the city of IJsselstein and the area around Benschop remained a free barony within the Republic.

The relatively regular urban structure of IJsselstein may be related to an old subdivision pattern. The longitudinal axis of the city plan is at least parallel to the direction of the plots in this part of the Lopikerwaard. From the gates on the short sides, two main arteries divide the urban area into three equal, elongated strips; one runs from the Benschopperpoort along the Benschopperstraat and the Utrechtsestraat, and the other runs from the IJsselpoort along IJsselstraat, Voorstraat, and Schuttersgracht. Centrally located in the middle strip is the town hall. The Herv. church and the St. Nicolaas church are located eccentrically in the northern strip, which adjoins the former castle grounds. The simplest buildings concentrate in the southern strip, by the narrowed inner moat or harbor.

The buildings are characterized by a relatively high number of single-story houses, including many cross-section houses. The 15th-century fortification is still present. The city wall was almost entirely demolished starting in 1852; in part, public gardens replaced it. Especially after World War II, IJsselstein expanded significantly, also across the Hollandse IJssel.

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