Stichtse Vecht 2.39

Stichtse Vecht is a municipality of the Netherlands and lies in the northwestern part of the province of Utrecht.The municipality has about 63,000 inhabitants and covers an area of about 107 km² (41 sq mi).Stichtse Vecht has been newly formed by a merger of the municipalities of Breukelen (in the west), Maarssen (in the east) and Loenen (in the north) on 1 January 2011.GeographyStichtse Vecht is situated north of the city of Utrecht, in an area called the Vechtstreek. It is located around sea level and mostly a rural area with lots of pastures.Within its boundaries lay the Maarsseveense Plassen, which are recreational lakes. Northeast it borders the Loosdrechtse Plassen, also recreational lakes, which lay in neighbouring municipality of Wijdemeren.The Amsterdam–Rhine Canal and the river Vecht crosses the municipality from south to north.HistoryThe municipality contains many stately homes (buitenplaatsen) and several castles, like Nijenrode Castle, Slot Zuylen and Huis te Mijnden.