BUSSUM

'' is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

Contents

History

Local government

Notable people born in Bussum

References

History

Bussum was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town Naarden, it was governed by Naarden from 1369 onward. In 1470, Bussum was inhabited by about 250 people, which made it the smallest village in het Gooi.
Bussum became independent from Naarden in 1817, yet it was not until the arrival of a railway line in 1874 that Bussum began to flourish. Two train stations were built in the town, that exist until today: Naarden-Bussum and Bussum Zuid (Dutch for Bussum South), both on the connection between Amsterdam and Hilversum. The stations and the road network fostered the town's status as suburb of Amsterdam, allowing for reverse caommute also to Hilversum. From 1898 until 1907, Bussum housed the first Dutch socialist colony after the example of Thoreaux's Walden, set up by the writer and psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden. In 1951, Bussum hosted the first Dutch national tv broadcast and the national tv-studio's were located there until 1964.

Local government

The municipal council of Bussum consists of 23 seats, which are divided as follows:

★ VVD - 7 seats

★ PvdA - 5 seats

★ CDA - 4 seats

★ GroenLinks - 4 seats

★ D66 - 2 seats

★ CU - 1 seat

Notable people born in Bussum

★ Freddy Wittop (1911-2001) international costume designer

★ Karel Thole (1914-2000), painter and illustrator

★ Paul Biegel (1925-2006), author

★ Thierry Veltman (1939), artist

★ Tineke Lagerberg (1941), swimmer

★ Ronnie Tober (1945), singer and entertainer

★ Charles de Lint (1951), Canadian author and musician

★ Huub Rothengatter (1954), racing driver

★ Raoul Heertje (1963), comedian

★ Anneloes Nieuwenhuizen (1963), field hockey defender

★ Ruud Hesp (1965), football goalkeeper

★ Ellen Elzerman (1971), swimmer

★ Thekla Reuten (1975), actress

★ EliZe (1982), singer

References

★ Statistics are taken from the SDU Staatscourant

★ History of Bussum in Old postcards