History
The area around Zoetermeer has probably been inhabited for over a thousand years, and there are indications that the village already existed before 1100. However, the first real mention dates back to 1242. The village was named after the nearby freshwater lake that was used for fishing. There
was probably already a church in Zoetermeer in 1296. Zoetermeer formed one parish together with the nearby (independent) Zegwaart.
The current municipality of Zoetermeer arose from the merger of the municipalities of Zegwaart (cadastral Zegwaard) and Zoetermeer on May 1, 1935.
At the end of the fifties there was a very serious housing shortage in the Netherlands. The argument that newlyweds had to move in with one of the parents, which led to great social tensions, was one of the reasons for setting up the Westen des Lands Commission at the time. The Zoetermeer municipal council was strongly opposed to the satellite city of Wilsveen, which the committee proposed. According to the data known at the time, the expansion of Zoetermeer would only be possible in the direction of Wilsveen, leaving only a few hundreds of meters between the two city centers. In particular, the fall of the fourth Drees cabinet on 12 December 1958 (which also brought the "Drees regime" to an end) caused great delays.
It was not until November 1962 that the Zoetermeer municipal council commissioned a team of urban engineers to develop plans for the urban development of the village of Zoetermeer into a city of approximately 100,000 inhabitants. In 1966 the construction of the Palenstein district (named after Palenstein castle located in the village) started.
The plans for the Meerzicht district already existed in 1966, but the district was only built between 1969 and 1974. The urban design came from the Zoetermeer Development Working Group. This working group consisted of S.J. van Embden, Rein H. Fledderus and the later minister W.F. Schut.
The Meerzicht district is located in the western part of the Driemanspolder (which is why the working name was first Driemanspolder-west). The origin of this name "Driemanspolder" is also known: it comes from the three-headed management that drained the polder in 1668.
Construction of the Alferbos, Belvederebos and Fonteinbos apartment complexes started in 1973
Characteristic of Meerzicht is the strict distinction between high-rise and low-rise buildings. The Meerzichtlaan forms a strict dividing line between them. The high-rise buildings are mainly found in the northwestern part of the district. Because a lot of greenery has been laid out between the flats, a pleasant living environment has been created. The flats are also less uniform than those in the Palenstein and Driemanspolder districts. Meerzicht is the last district of Zoetermeer with high-rise buildings. The green offshoots of the Westerpark divide the low-rise buildings in the district into separate residential areas.
History
Over the years
The area around Zoetermeer has probably been inhabited for over a thousand years, and there are indications that the village already existed before 1100. However, the first real mention dates back to 1242. The village was named after the nearby freshwater lake that was used for fishing. There was probably already a church in Zoetermeer in 1296. Zoetermeer formed one parish together with the nearby (independent) Zegwaart. The current municipality of Zoetermeer arose from the merger of the municipalities of Zegwaart (cadastral Zegwaard) and Zoetermeer on
May 1, 1935.
At the end of the fifties there was a very serious housing shortage in the Netherlands. The argument that newlyweds had to move in with one of the parents, which led to great social tensions, was one of the reasons for setting up the Westen des Lands Commission at the time. The Zoetermeer municipal council was strongly opposed to the satellite city of Wilsveen, which the committee proposed. According to the data known at the time, the expansion of Zoetermeer would only be possible in the direction of Wilsveen, leaving only a few hundreds of meters between the two city centers. In particular, the fall of the fourth Drees cabinet on 12 December 1958 (which also brought the "Drees regime" to an end) caused great delays. It was not until November 1962 that the Zoetermeer municipal council commissioned a team of urban engineers to develop plans for the urban development of the village of Zoetermeer into a city of approximately 100,000 inhabitants. In 1966 the construction of the Palenstein district (named after Palenstein castle located in the village) started.
The plans for the Meerzicht district already existed in 1966, but the district was only built between 1969 and 1974. The urban design came from the Zoetermeer Development Working Group. This working group consisted of S.J. van Embden, Rein H. Fledderus and the later minister W.F. Schut.
The Meerzicht district is located in the western part of the Driemanspolder (which is why the working name was first Driemanspolder-west). The origin of this name "Driemanspolder" is also known: it comes from the three-headed management that drained the polder in 1668.
Construction of the Alferbos, Belvederebos and Fonteinbos apartment complexes started in 1973
Characteristic of Meerzicht is the strict distinction between high-rise and low-rise buildings. The Meerzichtlaan forms a strict dividing line between them. The high-rise buildings are mainly found in the northwestern part of the district. Because a lot of greenery has been laid out between the flats, a pleasant living environment has been created. The flats are also less uniform than those in the Palenstein and Driemanspolder districts. Meerzicht is the last district of Zoetermeer with high-rise buildings. The green offshoots of the Westerpark divide the low-rise buildings in the district into separate residential areas.
