The history of Soest
Very little is known about the early development of Soest. Still, historians have successfully ascertained that various groups of hunters lived in the area sometime around 11,000 B.C. Tools dating back to approximately 8,000 B.C. have been found in the Soester dunes, and a number of burial mounds from sometime around 2,000 B.C. remain, such as the Enghenbergje, located on the Eng in the middle of the farmlands, and several in the Korte Duinen/Monnikenbos area between Soest-Zuid and Amersfoort.
Together, this clearly illustrates just how old Soest is; in fact, it was one of the oldest settlements in the Sticht.
The earliest description of Soest dates back to 1029, and from that year onwards most events were documented.
In ancient times, Soest was also written as: Soyse, Zoys, Suys and Sose. 'Soest' likely means 'fountainhead where high and low lands meet, specifically the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and Eem Valley. Another possible explanation is that it indicates a settlement on the south-east or Soest of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
Te tranquil Eng was often the site of conflict. The first armed clash took place in 1278, which did not have any significance in the history of the Netherlands; however, it was important in the centuries-long feud between Utrecht and Holland. The battle of 1278 involved the Amstelaren and Woerdenaars on the one side and the Stichtse forces on the other. In this battle, the latter tasted defeat.
The main sources of income during the Middle Ages included farming on the slopes of the Eng, peat extraction in Soesterveen, sheep farming on the vast heathland, beekeeping and to a lesser degree cattle farming. Trades and cottage industries sprung up, too.
Soest developed into a typical unidirectional street village, with the arable land on the Eng and the farms along the foot winding around it. At the one end of the round village was the Kort-End (which today is where Ferd. Huycklaan runs) and the other was the Lang-End (where Burg. Grothestraat runs now). The two ends were connected by the (old) Kerkpad, with the Kerkebuurt dominated by the Oude Kerk at the heart of the village.
There were a number of other hamlets in the area, too: het Hart, de Bunt (Soest-Zuid), Achter den Eng (in the vicinity of Nieuweweg), het Veen, de Birkt and den Berg or Soesterberg.
The establishment of two cloisters also played a significant role for the community of Soest: 'Mariënburg' on Eemstraat, which is now the site of the farm 'Het Klooster', and 'Mariënhof' on Birkstraat.
A milestone in the history of the municipality was reached on 26 September 1472 when Bishop David of Burgundy was appointed sheriff. In the years that followed, Soest was plundered and burned to the ground many times, and yet always managed to recover. By the end of the 18th century, Soest was still a small agricultural village with less than 1,200 inhabitants. This all changed in early 1800 when new forms of government were introduced.
The Naarden-Amersfoort main road was built between 1815 and 1817. In 1823 Schout Gerrit Steijn van Hensbroek became the first mayor of Soest. In 1869 16 streetlamps were installed; on 1 July 1895 the Soester Paardetram or horse-drawn streetcar went into operation; on 27 June 1898 the Utrecht-Baarn railway line was opened. Still, none of this really had any noticeable effect on the tranquil country living in Soest.
After 1920 Soest began to grow and by 1930 the population had already reached 15,000 residents. This prompted the municipality to create an expansion plan in the 1920s. By 1945 the municipality had become a village of 22,000; by 1960 the population had increased to 28,500; in 1970 there were 37,500 people; on 1 January 1975 the number was 38,764; and as of 1 January 1999 Soest had a population of 44,106.
The year 1029 is considered the year in which the municipality of Soest was founded. In 1929 the village held a huge celebration in honour of its 900th birthday, and again in 1979 to mark the 950th birthday.
Soest at 975 years
In 2004 it was 975 years ago that Bishop Ansfridus donated 14 farmsteads to the Benedictine cloister in Amersfoort. These were located between the villas of Heze and Zoys, which would later be called Soest. This act signalled the birth of Soest.
