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Zeist is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, located east of the city of Utrecht.
Population centres
- Austerlitz
- Bosch en Duin
- Den Dolder
- Huis ter Heide
- Zeist
The town of Zeist
The town of "Seist" was first mentioned in a charter in the year 838. The original settlement was located at the present Dorpsstraat. In the late 12th century, a church was built here. Its tower is now a part of the Reformed Church, the remainder of which was built in the 19th century. Until medieveal times, a branch of the river Rhine flowed close to the centre of the town. Three mansions were built near the village: the Huis te Zeist, Kersbergen, and Blikkenburg.
From 1677 to 1686, the Castle Zeist was built. Members of the Evangelical Brotherhood settled in Zeist in 1746, and their headquarters are still located in the centre of town, close to the castle.
In the 19th century, Zeist became a favorite residence for the rich, mainly from the city of Utrecht.
Zeist is the location of the Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) and also known for the forests surrounding the town.
Austerlitz
Austerlitz is a town of about 1550 inhabitants. It was named after the Battle of Austerlitz.
The town was founded on August 17, 1806 on the location of a French army camp. It was given city rights by King Louis Napoleon of Holland in honour of the victory of his brother, emperor Napoleon.
Close to the town, there is an artificial hill called the Pyramid of Austerlitz, actually part of the municipality Woudenberg. It was built in 1804 by the soldiers of general Auguste Marmont. It used to be a popular day out to climb the watch tower on top of the pyramid, but nowadays the tower is no longer open to the public, and the forest has grown too high to look very far anyway.
People from Zeist
The following famous people were born in Zeist:
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