Harmelen

Coordinates: 52°5′22″N 4°57′39″E / 52.08944°N 4.96083°E / 52.08944; 4.96083CountryNetherlandsProvinceUtrechtMunicipalityWoerdenArea • Total23.75 km² (9.17 sq mi)Population • Total8,374 • Density350/km² (910/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

Harmelen is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Woerden, and lies about 6 km east of Woerden.

In 2001, the town of Harmelen had 6557 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 1.11 km², and contained 2481 residences.^[1]

Harmelen is on the railway line between Utrecht and Woerden; its train station was opened on 21 May 1855 and closed on 15 May 1936.^[2] In 1962, two passenger trains collided near Harmelen. The Harmelen train disaster, resulting in 93 fatalities, was the largest train accident in Dutch history.

The village used to be a separate municipality, until it merged with Woerden in 2001. Before the merger the municipality of Harmelen had about 8000 inhabitants.

Notable people born in Harmelen

• Ellen van Dijk, (born 1987) – professional racing cyclist
• Dico Koppers, (born 1992) – soccerplayer by Ajax
• Theo de Rooij, (born 1957) – former racing cyclist and manager of the Rabobank cycling team
• James Cornelius van Miltenburg, (born 1909) – first Archbishop of Karachi

References