Den Hoorn

Den Hoorn is a village in the municipality of Midden-Delfland, Province of South Holland, Netherlands. The village is situated in the shadow of Delft and is in fact a suburb of Delft with a small town heart.

Two watercourses cross the village: the Lookwatering and Gaag that flows from Delft to Schipluiden. At the core of the village there are some distinctive buildings include "Bolle Kickert" (bridge over the Gaag) and the Catholic Saint Anthony and Cornelius Church in neo-Gothic style, a late work of Nicholas Miller sr..

Den Hoorn is traditionally an agricultural village. Many family businesses with modest greenhouse complex. Several developments, including increases in scale in the industry and deteriorating market conditions, resulted in mid-2002 that approximately 75% of the horticultural entrepreneurs jointly offered their company for sale to develop housing and industry. This clustering originated in the development of a regional sewage treatment plant, Delfluent, in the horticultural area on the Noordhoornseweg.

Currently there are about 7000 people, but by building a new residential area (Look West) at the place where once the playing fields of soccer club SV Den Hoorn and handball DIOS were established, the population in the future will increase considerably. Both sports have moved in January 2006 to a new sports complex at the Zuidhoornseweg, near swimmingpool Kerkpolder and hospital Reinier de Graaf Hospital. Both are in Delft, which is a stone's throw away from Den Hoorn.

On the Gaag in the direction of Schipluiden lies the old hamlet Hodenpijl, now included in Den Hoorn. The former neoclassical church, previously served as glue factory, has been restored by a local entrepreneur to its former glory. Behind the building one finds the RK cemetery of the St. Jacobs Parish of Schipluiden with a monumental priest's grave.

History

The current Den Hoorn was founded around 1100 under the name Dijkshoorn as part of the Hof van Delft, a count's possession. In 1246 Hof van Delft received city rights  and grew into the current Delft. Dijkshoorn and all other areas around Hof van Delft were from then on known as the craft Hof van Delft. In 1817, this craft became a municipality, but again it was disbanded in 1921. Parts of the former municipality, including Den Hoorn, 't Woudt and Abtswoude, then became part to the town of Schipluiden. In the 19th century the councils of the municipality of Hof van Delft were held in the old Rechthuis, what was then an inn. Today it is a Chinese restaurant.

Early in the 18th century there were many orchards and vegetable gardens located in current Den Hoorn. Slowly that has developed into professional horticulture, for which  many greenhouses were built later.