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Soest is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It is located about 6 km west of Amersfoort.
Population centres
- Soest
- Soestduinen
- Soestdijk
- Soesterberg
The town of Soest
Soest is at least 975 years old. The oldest documents mentioning Soest (then written as Zoys) date from 1029. Its oldest church (the Oude Kerk, meaning Old Church), which is still in use today, dates from the 15th century.Traces of earlier habitation are found though. De area of "Hees", now at the outskirts of Soest may date in to the Early Middle Ages, and prehistoric burial mounds in the Soesterduinen point to early habitation in this area.
Medieval agricultural activity is still visible as there are many farmlands inside Soest. The biggest are in the center of the town, on a hill, and are called 'de Engh'. A nice small street is 'het Kerkepad'. The Soesterduinen, in the South, sanddunes, are worth visiting.
Soestdijk
Soestdijk gives its name to Paleis Soestdijk, the former residence of Princess Juliana, which actually lies in the municipality of Baarn.
Soesterberg
Soesterberg is a village with a population of about 7,000. It is located on the road between Amersfoort and Utrecht.
From 1910, the heath north of the village was used as an airfield. From 1954 to 1994 it was a NATO base, and the village of Soesterberg housed a number of American families.
Transport
Soest can be reached by train (every half hour) from Utrecht and Baarn; all trains stop at the three stations, Soest-Zuid, Soest and Soestdijk. The station of
Soestduinen situated on the railroad between Utrecht and Amersfoort was closed in 1998, after being in service for 135 years.
There is also a Soest in Germany.
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