Haarlem

Haarlem is a city in the west of the Netherlands, capital of the North Holland province. The city is located by the river Spaarne, near the North Sea.

The municipality also comprises of the following towns, villages and townships: Spaarndam.

The city has a population of 150,000.

History of Haarlem

Middle Ages

The oldest mentioning of Haarlem dates from the 10th century. The name comes from "Haarlo-heim" (place higher than the others) or "Harulahem" (place built on sand). The location of the village was a good one: by the river Spaarne, and by a major road going south to north. By the 12th century it was a fortified town, and Haarlem became the hometown for the Counts of Holland.

In 1219 the knights of Haarlem were honored by Count Willem I, because they had conquered the Egyptian port of Damietta (or Damiate in Dutch) in the 5th crusade. Haarlem received the right to bear the Count's sword and cross in its coat of arms. In 1245 Count Willem II gave Haarlem city rights. This implied a number of privileges, among which the right for the sheriff and magistrates to administer justice, instead of the Count.

In 1429 the city gained the right to collect tolls. At the end of the Middle Ages Haarlem was a flourishing city with a lot of textile industry, shipyards and beerbreweries. This era ended with a period of unrest: a civil war (the Hook and Cod wars) and most of all the Eighty Years' War.

Spanish siege

In July 1572 the citizens of Haarlem supported the Geuzen revolution against the Spanish ruler of the country. In 1573 the Spanish army, under command of Fadrique Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva (Don Frederick in Dutch), son of the Duke of Alva, put the city under siege. The cities defenses were commanded by city-gouvernor Wigbolt Ripperda. Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer, a very strong woman, helped defending the city.

After seven months the city surrendered on July 2nd 1573. Many soldiers of the army that defended the city were slaughtered; many of them were drowned in the Spaarne river. Gouvernor Ripperda and his luitenant were beheaded. The citizens were allowed the buy themselves and the city free for 240.000 guilders.

The city suffered a big fire on October 23rd, 1576. The fire started near the Waag at the Spaarne, by German mercenaries who were warming themselves on a fire. The fire destroyed almost 500 buildings, among them the St-Gangolfschurch and the Elisabeth's Gasthuis.

The Spanish left in 1577 and under the Agreement of Veere, protestants and catholics were given equal rights.

A large influx of Flemish and French immigrant who were fleeing the Spanish occupation of their own cities made the city prosper again. They brought a lot expertise in linen and silk trading, and the city's population grew from 18.000 in 1573 to around 40.000 in 1622. In 1632 a tow canal between Haarlem and Amsterdam was opened, the first one in the country. Haarlem's cultural life also prospered, with famous painters like Frans Hals and Jacob van Ruisdael, architect Lieven de Key and Jan Steen who made many paitings in Haarlem. On the Grote Markt, the central market square, you'll find a statue of Laurens Janszoon Coster allegedly the inventor of the printing press.

From the end of the 17th century the economic situation in the city turned sour, for a long time.

19th century

In 1815 the city's population was about 17.000 people, with many of them being poor. In the beginning of the 19th century the defense walls had lost their function, and architect Zocher Jr. planned a park on the location of the former defense line. The city walls and gates were demolished.

Halfway the 19th century the city's economy started slowly to improve. New factories were opened, and a number of large companies were founded in Haarlem. In 1911 Anthony Fokker showed his plane, de Spin to the audience in Haarlem by flying around the Sint-Bavokerk on Queen's Day. In 1839 the first Dutch train service started, between Haarlem and Amsterdam. This train service gave the economy of Haarlem a boost.

Because of the creating of new land in the Haarlemmermeer the city could no longer refresh the water in its canals from the Spaarne. The new industry made the water quality even worse, and in 1859 de Oude Gracht, a canal, was changed into a street.

In 1899 the first Dutch electric tram ran in Haarlem.

20th century

The city went through rough times in the Great Depression of 1930s.

During World War II Hannie Schaft worked for a Dutch resistance group.

After the war much of the large industry moved to outside the city, such as the money-printing firm Johan Enschedé & Zn..

In the beginning of the 20th century the city expanded north-wards. In the 1920s the municality of Schoten became part of Haarlem, as well as part of Spaarndam. Later the expansion went south-wards (Schalkwijk) and east-wards (Waarderpolder). In 1932 V&D, a Dutch retailer built a large shop at the Verwult. Many buildings were demolished, except one small shop on the corner: "Van der Pigge", which is now encapsulated by the V&D building.

In 1963 a large number of houses was built in Schalkwijk.

Religion

Haarlem has been a Catholic diocese since 1559 (Dioecesis Harlemensis). The original Catholic cathedral the Sint-Bavo Cathedral at the Grote Markt, is called after the patron saint of Haarlem, Saint Bavo. The first bishop of Haarlem was Nicolaas van Nieuwland (born in 1510), was accepted the position on November 6th, 1561. He was advised to resign in 1569 by the Duke of Alva, because of his reputation for drinking ('Dronken Klaasje).

Van Nieuwland was followed up by Godfried van Mierlo, who would be the last bishop of Haarlem for 300 years. Although Haarlem's cathedral was spared from the Iconoclastic riots (Beeldenstorm) of 1566 in the Netherlands, on Sacramentsday (May 29th) in 1578 the Sint Bavo Cathedral was attacked by soldiers of the Prince of Orange. One of the priests got killed, and many things in the church were destroyed. This event, called the Haarlemse Noon, forced the bishop to flee the city. The city council confiscated the church, and converted it later to a protestant church. The new (and current) name of the Cathedral became Sint-Bavokerk. The Agreemeent of Veere was thus clearly breeched.

It wasn't until 1853 that there came a new catholic bisshop. A new catholic cathedral, again called the St-Bavo Cathedral, was built at the Leidsevaart in 1898. The bishop of Haarlem nowadays lives on the Nieuwe Gracht.

Famous buildings and locations

The city is famous for its many hofjes: almshouses built in courtyards. These were (mainly privately funded) houses for elder single women. Nowadays there are 19 hofjes in Haarlem; many open to public on weekdays. Many hofjes are still owned by the original foundations, and are still mainly used for single (elder) women.

The Grote or Sint-Bavokerk
The Grote Markt
The Teylersmuseum (the oldest museum of the Netherlands)
Frans Hals Museum
Windmill De Adriaan
The Sint-Bavo Cathedral
The Amsterdamse Poort
The art nouveau Trainstation (1841, 1867, 1906)

Miscellaneous

Local beer

Beerbrewing has been a very important industry for Haarlem. The heydays of beer brewing in Haarlem go back to the 1400s, when there were no less than 100 breweries in the city. When the town's 750th anniversary was celebrated in 1995, a group of enthusiasts re-created an original Haarlem's beer and brewed it again. The beer is called Jopenbier, or Jopen for short, called after an old type of beer-barrel.

Jopen Koyt and Jopen Adriaan are based on old recipes from 1402 and 1407 respectively. Jopen Adriaan is called after the windmill that re-opened in 2002. Jopenbier also features a dark beer (bokbier) and a light beer ("spring beer" or lentebier). Jopenbier is now generally available again, mainly in the Haarlem area. It is currently brewed in Tilburg.

Harlem, Manhatten

In 1658 Dutchman Peter Stuyvesant founded the city Nieuw Haarlem ('New Haarlem') at the eastside of North America. Later this was to give its name to the Harlem neighborhood in New York City, United States.

Spaarndam

Spaarndam is a little village at the Spaarne. The village belongs partly to the municipality of Haarlem (the west side), partly to the municipality of Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude (the east side). The village is built around a sluis in the river, this sluis is also the division line of the two municipalities.

Spaarndam was created around a dam where the river Spaarne flows into the IJ. This dam was built here bij Floris V, Count of Holland in 1285. The village collected toll at this dam, and people made their living with fishing. From 1812 to 1927 Spaarndam was a municipality.

The village has some tourism, and many people commute to Amsterdam and Haarlem. Spaarndam-West is the oldest part.

The village has always been strongly connected to water: besides the river and the fishing, it is now also famous because of the story of Hansje Brinker. This was a character in an American book, that stick his finger in the dike to prevent the town from flooding; he was supposingly living in Spaarndam. The local tourist bureau has put a statue of this fictional character in the town.

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