View source for Heyden, Jan van der (1637-1712)

[[File:Jan-van-der-Heiden.jpg|300px|thumb|right|''Jan van der Heyden.<br />
Source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jan_van_der_Heiden.jpg Wikipedia Commons]'']]
Jan van der Heyden, born 1637 at [[Gorinchem (Zuid-Holland, Netherlands)|Gorinchem]], Dutch province of [[South Holland (Netherlands) |South Holland]], died 28 March 1712 at [[Amsterdam (Noord-Holland, Netherlands)|Amsterdam]], was baptized in the Flemish church "[[Lamist Mennonite Church (Amsterdam, Netherlands)|bij 't Lam]]" at Amsterdam in 1656 and served this congregation three periods as a deacon (1675-1680, 1686-1691, 1696-1701).

Jan van der Heyden is renowned for his technical inventions: in 1669 he was appointed director of the service of street-lighting and organized a lighting system in Amsterdam that was unique in Europe. He is still more famous for his invention of a fire-engine in 1677. From 1672, in which year he and his brother Nicolaas were appointed directors of fire-extinguishing appliances, they had worked on this invention. Soon after, Jan van der Heyden founded a fire-engine factory.

Jan van der Heyden is also known as a painter; and a number of pictures, mostly of buildings, still bear evidence of his skill and artistry. His son Goris van der Heyden was also a deacon of the Amsterdam Lamist congregation, 1701-1706. Jan's granddaughter (daughter of his son Jan) Jacoba (1705-1731) was married to the well-known Mennonite preacher [[Deknatel, Jeme (Joannes) (1698-1759)|Joannes Deknatel]].
= Bibliography =
<em>Amstelodamum Jaarboek </em>11 (1913): 29-118 f.

<em>Amsterdamsche Stadtsgezichten van Jan van der Heyden, </em>with introduction by C. J. 't Hooft. Amsterdam, 1912.

<em>Bericht Wegens de nieuw-geinventeerde en geoctro-yeerde Slang-brandspuiten. Uitgevonden door Jan en Nicolaes van der Heyden. </em>Amsterdam, 1677.

Bode, W. v. <em>Die Meister der Holländischen und Flämischen Malerschulen. </em>Leipzig, 1951: 365-369, 373-378.
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