Vianen

Little or nothing is known about the history of the town of Vianen. The first recorded mention of Vianen was as Vyanen Castle, which was granted the right to hold a market twice a year in 1270. The castle and later the town were in a politically, economically and commercially strategic location. Due to the crossing of the Lek, it serves as a pivot point on the border of Utrecht, Holland and Gelderland.

Between 1335 and 1336, Heilwich van Vianen and her husband Willem van Duivenvoorde granted various town rights to Vianen. They also ordered Vianen to be constructed according to a sleek, state-of-the-art bastide design. The straight, connecting streets are still clearly visible in today’s town centre.

In the year 1414, Vianen came into the Van Brederode family when Johanna van Vianen married Walrave I van Brederode. Among the Brederodes, Vianen became an important centre of national political life. The town was a Free Town, its own ‘kingdom’ of the Brederodes having its own laws, jurisdiction and coins. However, the town did not have a good name – according to stories, the Free Town was frequented by thieves and murderers. ‘Going to Vianen’ was also a phrase used for a long time as a term for bankruptcy. However, there was control: new residents of Vianen had to pass the Brederodes inspection and were required to pay a sum of money. In the year 1679, the Van Brederode family died out in the legal male lineage and the Free Town of Vianen came to an end in 1795