Gouda

:For other uses, see Gouda (disambiguation).

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(population 71,797 in 2004) is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland.

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Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes and its 15th century town hall.

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The town takes its name from the Van der Goude family, who built a fortified castle alongside the banks of the Gouwe River, from which the family took its name. The area, originally marshland, developed over the course of two centuries. By 1225, a canal was linked to the Gouwe and its estuary was transformed into a harbor.

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Netherlands: The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland; IPA pronunciation: /"ne:d?rlant/) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands that is formed by the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.(Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). The Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional m...

South Holland: :This article is about the province of the Netherlands. For the town in the United States, see South Holland, Illinois; for the district of Lincolnshire, see South Holland, England...

City rights: Redirect town privileges...