Doetinchem
| Doetinchem | |||
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| Municipality | |||
Church in Doetinchem
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.svg) Location in Gelderland |
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| Coordinates: 51°58′N 6°18′E / 51.967°N 6.300°ECoordinates: 51°58′N 6°18′E / 51.967°N 6.300°E | |||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | Gelderland | ||
| Government | |||
| • Body | Municipal council | ||
| • Mayor | Niels Joosten (VVD) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 79.66 km2 (30.76 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 79.06 km2 (30.53 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 0.60 km2 (0.23 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) | ||
| Population (May 2014) | |||
| • Total | 56,436 | ||
| • Density | 714/km2 (1,850/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Doetinchemmer | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postcode | 7000–7011, 7030–7031 | ||
| Area code | 0314, 0315 | ||
| Website | www |
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Doetinchem (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdutɪnˌxɛm]; Low Saxon: Deutekem) is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek . The municipality had a population of 56,436 in 2014 and consists of an area of 79.66 km2 (30.76 sq mi) of which 0.60 km2 (0.23 sq mi) is water. This makes Doetinchem the largest town (by population) in the Achterhoek.
On 1 January 2005, a municipal restructuring merged the neighbouring municipality of Wehl as well as the Zelhelmse Broek area with Doetinchem.
The local government organization in the Netherlands is complex and fine-grained (see municipality and Govt Stats, with municipalities being divided into various entities. The municipality of Doetinchem consists of:
the city (‘stad’):
the villages (‘Wijken’):
the neighbourhoods (‘buurtschappen’):
Wehl was a separate municipality (with about 6,750 inhabitants, including Nieuw-Wehl) until 31 December 2004, when it merged with the municipality of Doetinchem.
It is known from archaeological finds of skulls, pottery shards, and flint arrowheads that the area was inhabited more than 11,000 years ago. These prehistoric hunters were followed by Celtic and Germanic tribes like the Franks and Saxons. Roman coins have been found and there is also archaeological evidence of the Vikings having plundered the area.
The first reference to the name of Doetinchem comes in a document from the year 838 which mentions a ‘villa Duetinghem’, a settlement with a small church. In 887, there is another mention of ‘Deutinkem’, a fortress with a church which had been given to the then Bishop of Utrecht. The spelling has varied over the centuries, with ‘Duttichem’, ‘Duichingen’ and ‘Deutekom’ being just some examples.
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Wikipedia