Famous people from Dordt

The Golden Age

In the seventeenth century Dordrecht was a wealthy trading city. You can see that in the statesmen and artists of the time.

• Johan de Witt (1625-1672)
  Grand Pensionary of Holland and one of the most powerful politicians of the Dutch Republic. His statue stands by the Visbrug.
• Cornelis de Witt (1623-1672)
  Mayor of Dordrecht and naval officer; murdered together with his brother Johan in The Hague in 1672.
• Jacob de Witt (1589-1674)
  Mayor of Dordrecht and father of Johan and Cornelis.
• Aelbert Cuyp (1620-1691)
  Painter of golden, sun-drenched river landscapes, often with Dordrecht in the background.
• Nicolaes Maes (1634-1693)
  Pupil of Rembrandt, known for his intimate domestic scenes and portraits.
• Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678)
  Painter, poet and art theorist, also a pupil of Rembrandt.
• Arnold Houbraken (1660-1719)
  Painter and author of a famous reference work on Dutch artists.
• Jacques Specx (1588-1652)
  Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies for the VOC.

Adventurers and legends

• Beatrix de Rijke (1421-1468)
  The baby from the St Elizabeth’s Flood of 1421. According to legend, she floated on the water in a cradle while a cat kept the cradle balanced.
• Laurens de Graaf (c. 1653-1704)
  Buccaneer and privateer in the Caribbean, later an officer in French service.
• Simon de Danser (c. 1579-c. 1615)
  Notorious privateer and pirate in the Mediterranean.

Art, literature and music

• Ary Scheffer (1795-1858)
  Romantic painter who made his career in Paris. His statue stands on the Scheffersplein.
• Jan Veth (1864-1925)
  Painter, poet and art critic.
• Top Naeff (1878-1953)
  Writer, among other things of the girls’ book School-idyllen.
• Kees Buddingh’ (1918-1985)
  Poet and television presenter, inventor of the absurd ‘gorgelrijmpjes’ (gargle rhymes).
• Celinde Schoenmaker (1989)
  Musical star, seen in London in Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera, among others.
• O’G3NE (since 2007)
  The Vol sisters won The Voice of Holland in 2014 and represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017.

Science

• Nicolaas Bloembergen (1920-2017)
  Physicist who won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on lasers.
• Pieter Geyl (1887-1966)
  Leading historian of Dutch history.
• Philip Scheltens (1957)
  Professor of neurology and Alzheimer’s expert.

Sport

• Lucinda Brand (1989)
  Cyclist, among other things cyclo-cross world champion.
• Maria Verschoor (1994)
  Hockey player, won Olympic silver in 2016.
• Danny Makkelie (1983)
  International football referee.
• Geert and Paul Lotsij (1878-1959 and 1880-1910)
  Rowers who won silver at the 1900 Olympic Games.

They lived in Dordt

They were born elsewhere, but Dordrecht played an important role in their lives.

• Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
  Before he became a painter, the young Vincent worked in Dordrecht in the first months of 1877, at the Blussé & Van Braam bookshop on the Voorstraat. He rented a room in the Tolbrugstraat. He was no born bookseller: he often preferred translating Bible texts and drawing.
• Jacob Cats (1577-1660)
  The well-known poet ‘Father Cats’ was pensionary (city lawyer) of Dordrecht before becoming Grand Pensionary of Holland.
• Gerardus Vossius (1577-1649)
  Scholar and theologian, rector of the Latin School in Dordrecht.
• Jaap Burger (1904-1986)
  Politician and lawyer; he worked as a lawyer in Dordrecht from 1929 to 1942.