Vianen is located in the south of the province, on the Merwede Canal, which crosses the Lek here. The Lek bridge on the Utrecht-Breda freeway is located near Vianen itself; two kilometers to the east, near Hagestein, there is another Lek bridge on the Utrecht-'s-Hertogenbosch freeway. These two highways intersect at Everdingen, two kilometers south of the city of Vianen. There is a dam in the Lek at Hagestein.
 The oldest documented settlement dates from around 1000 AD. The original territory of the Lords of Arkel (see also: Zederik), Everdingen, Hagestein, Haaften, Herwijnen, Leerdam and Vianen is called the "Vijfheerenlanden" (Five Lords' Lands). In the Middle Ages it soon belonged to the diocese of Utrecht, then to Holland. Lord Wilhelm van Duivenvoorde granted Vianen its town charter in 1335. The Lords of Brederode came into possession of the Lordship of Vianen through marriage in 1414. This remained the case, with a brief interruption during the Eighty Years' War, until the dynasty died out in 1679. It was inherited by the Counts of Lippe. In 1696, Batenstein Castle, until then the most beautiful building in the town, burnt down completely.
In 1725, Count Simon Heinrich Adolf zur Lippe was forced to sell the dominion of Vianen to Holland due to financial difficulties. After the French period (1789-1815), Vianen became part of the province of South Holland. On January 1, 2002, Vianen became part of the province of Utrecht by a decision of the States General.
On January 1, 2019, Vianen was merged with Leerdam and Zederik to form the newly formed municipality of Vijfheerenlanden. |
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