Ridderkerk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌrɪdərˈkɛr(ə)k] ) is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 46,671 in 2021 and covers an area of 25.26 km2 (9.75 sq mi) of which 1.54 km2 (0.59 sq mi) is covered by water.
The municipality of Ridderkerk includes the following towns, villages and townships: Bolnes, Oostendam, Rijsoord and Slikkerveer.
Ridderkerk has a museum called De Oudheidkamer, covering the history of the town. The centre of Ridderkerk has a central square for events and there is a theater.
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Public transport
Waterbus
At the Waterbus stop "de Schans" one can board the number 20 Waterbus to Dordrecht, Papendrecht, Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Alblasserdam, Krimpen aan den IJssel or Rotterdam.
At the Waterbus stop "de Schans" one can also take line 6 to: Krimpen aan de Lek and Kinderdijk.
Buses
The bus services are mostly operated by RET and they run to Rotterdam, Barendrecht and Dordrecht. There are two Arriva bus services to Zwijndrecht and Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht.
Notable people
Leen van der Waal (1928–2020), politician, former Member of the European Parliament
Jan van der Graaf (1937–2022), church administrator
Rien Kaashoek (1937–2024), mathematician and academic
Luuk Kroon (1942–2012), naval officer, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy 1995-1998
Bas Belder (born 1946), politician, former Member of the European Parliament
Lee Towers (born 1946), singer
Gert Oostindie (born 1955), historian and professor
Martin van Beek (1960–2018), politician, former senator
Robbert Dijkgraaf FRSE (born 1960), mathematical physicist and politician, string theorist and minister
Jos Wienen (born 1960), politician, former alderman of Ridderkerk, mayor of Haarlem
Johan Schot CBE (born 1961), historian working on science and technology policy
Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (born 1963), politician, former minister
Flora Lagerwerf-Vergunst (born 1964), judge and politician, former senator
Bart Jan Spruyt (born 1964), historian, journalist and conservative writer
Liesbeth Zegveld (born 1970), lawyer, legal expert and professor
Sport
Gerrit Lagendijk (1941–2010), professional football player and agent
Wietske de Ruiter (born 1970), female former field hockey striker, team bronze medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Maurice Lim (born 1984), figure skating champion
Jordy Buijs (born 1988), footballer, over 250 club caps
Kevin Strootman (born 1990), footballer, nearly 300 club caps
Bart Deurloo (born 1991), male artistic gymnast
Tim Eekman (born 1991), professional footballer, almost 200 club caps
Mick van Buren (born 1992), footballer, 150 club caps