Bodegraven 5.41

Bodegraven is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covers an area of 38.50km2 of which 1.02km2 is water.The former municipality of Bodegraven also includes the communities Meije, and Nieuwerbrug.On January 1, 2011 Bodegraven merged with Reeuwijk to Bodegraven-Reeuwijk.GeographyBodegraven is centrally located in the Green Heart of the Randstad, roughly equally distant (about 30 km) from Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. It is surrounded by the municipalities (clockwise, starting in the north): Nieuwkoop, Woerden, Reeuwijk (former municipality), Boskoop, and Alphen aan den Rijn.The town is situated on both shores of the Oude Rijn, in which a set of locks are in the middle of town. The oldest part of town is the Reformed St. Gallus Church, on the north side of the river.HistoryBodegraven was already inhabited in the Roman Era. It was situated at the Roman Empire's northern border, the Limes Germanicus. As such, many army camps, ports, and roads were built by the Romans. Many settlements originated on the road along the Limes, including Bodegraven.