Gouda

In 1272, Count Floris V granted Gouda city rights. At the end of the 19th century, the city began to benefit from the better economic climate. Companies such as the Stearine Candle Factory and the Goudsche Machinale Garenspinnerij played an important role in this. The station was opened in 1855. In the early 20th century, the city began to expand beyond the canals. In 1940, with the filling in of the Nieuwehaven, a start was made on closing the canals in the city center. In 1977 the weekly pig market, the largest in the Netherlands, disappeared from the city. The weekly cheese market on Thursday only survived as a tourist phenomenon.