Everything about Haarlem totally explained
, in the past usually
Harlem in English, is a city in the
Netherlands. It is also the
capital of the
province of
North Holland, which at one time was one of the most powerful of the seven provinces of the
Dutch Republic. The city is located on the
river Spaarne, about 20 km west of
Amsterdam and near the coastal
dunes. It has been the historical center of the
tulip bulb-growing district for centuries and bears the nickname 'Bloemenstad' (flower city), for this reason. The
municipality of Haarlem also comprises part of the
village of
Spaarndam, a newer housing estate forming part of the municipality of
Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude.
History of Haarlem
Middle Ages
The oldest mentioning of Haarlem dates from the 10th century. The name comes from "Haarlo-heim" or "Harulahem", which means 'place, on sand covered with trees, higher than the others'. There was a stream called "De Beek", dug from the peat grounds west of the river Spaarne as a drainage canal. Over the centuries the Beek was turned into an underground canal, as the city grew larger and the space was needed for construction. Over time it began to silt up and in the 19th century it was filled in. 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 residence of the
Counts of Holland.
In
1219 the knights of Haarlem were laurelled by
Count Willem I, because they'd conquered the Egyptian port of
Damietta (or
Damiate in Dutch, present-day
Dimyat) in the 5th
crusade. Haarlem received the right to bear the Count's sword and cross in its
coat of arms. On
November 23 1245 Count Willem II granted 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. This allowed for a quicker and more efficient judiciary system, more suited to the needs of the growing city.
After a siege by the
Kennemer people in
1270 a defensive wall was built around the city. Most likely this was an earthen wall, with wooden gates. Originally the city started out between Spaarne, Oudegracht, Ridderstraat, Bakenessergracht and Naussaustraat. In the 14th century the city expanded, and the Burgwalbuurt, Bakenes and the area around the Oudegracht became part of the city. The old defenses proved not to be sufficiently strong for the expanded city, and at the end of the 14th century a 16½-metre high wall was built, complete with a 15-metre wide canal circling the city.
In
1304 the
Flemish threatened the city, but they were defeated by
Witte van Haemstede at Manpad.
All the city's buildings were made of wood, and fire was a great risk. In 1328 nearly the whole city burnt down. The
Sint-Bavokerk was severely damaged, and rebuilding it would take more than 150 years. Again on
June 12,
1347 there was a fire in the city. A third large fire, in
1351, destroyed many buildings including the Count's castle and the city hall. The Count didn't need a castle in Haarlem because his castle in
Den Haag had taken over all functions. The Count donated the ground to the city and later a
new city hall was built there. The shape of the old city was square -- this was inspired by the shape of ancient
Jerusalem. After every fire the city was rebuilt quickly, an indication of the wealth of the city in those years.
The
Black Death came to the city in
1381. According to an estimate by a priest from
Leiden the disease killed 5,000 people, about half the population at that time.
In the 14th century Haarlem was a major city. It was the second largest city in historical Holland after
Dordrecht and before
Delft,
Leiden,
Amsterdam,
Gouda and
Rotterdam. In
1429 the city gained the right to collect tolls, including ships passing the city on the Spaarne river. At the end of the
Middle Ages Haarlem was a flourishing city with a large textile industry, shipyards and beer breweries.
Around 1428 the city was put under siege by the army of
Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut. Haarlem had taken side with the Cods in the
Hook and Cod wars, and thus against Jacoba of Bavaria. The entire
Haarlemmerhout wood was burnt down by the enemy.
Spanish siege
Main article: Siege of Haarlem
The city is completely surrounded by a city wall and defensive
moat. In the south-west of the city bleaching grounds can be seen. Notice the near-square shape of the city: this was based on the ancient plan of
Jerusalem.
When the city of
Brielle was conquered by the
Geuzen revolutionary army, the municipality of Haarlem started supporting the Geuzen. King
Philip II of Spain wasn't pleased, and sent an army north under the command of
Don Fadrique (
Don Frederick in Dutch), son of the
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba. On
November 17 1572 all citizens of the city of
Zutphen were murdered by the Spanish army, and on
December 1 the city of
Naarden suffered the same fate.
On
December 11 1572 the Spanish army put Haarlem under siege. The city's defences were commanded by city-governor
Wigbolt Ripperda.
Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer, a very powerful woman, helped defend the city.
During the first two months of the siege, the situation was in balance. The Spanish army was digging tunnels to reach the
city walls and blow them up. The defenders dug tunnels to blow up the Spanish tunnels. The situation became worse for Haarlem on
March 29 1573. The
Amsterdam army, faithful to the Spanish king, controlled
Haarlemmermeer lake, effectively blocking Haarlem from the outside world. Hunger in the city grew, and the situation became so tense that on
May 27 many (Spanish-loyal) prisoners were taken from the prison and murdered.
Two city gates, the Kruispoort and the Janspoort collapsed during the fighting.
In the beginning of July the
Prince of Orange assembled an army of 5,000 soldiers near
Leiden to free Haarlem. The Spanish trapped them at the
Manpad and defeated the army. After seven months the city surrendered on
July 13 1573. Many soldiers of the army that defended the city were slaughtered; many of them were drowned in the
Spaarne river. Governor Ripperda and his lieutenant were
beheaded. The citizens were allowed to buy freedom for themselves and the city for 240,000
guilders and the city was required to host a Spanish
garrison. Don Fadrique thanked God for his victory in the
Sint-Bavo Church.
Great fire
The city suffered a big fire in the night from
October 22 to
October 23 1576. The fire started in brewery
het Ankertje, near the weighhouse at the Spaarne, which was used by German
mercenaries as a guarding place. When they were warming themselves at a fire it got out of control. The fire was spotted by farmers, who sailed their ships on the river. However, the soldiers turned down all help, saying that they'd put out the fire themselves. This failed, and the fire destroyed almost 500 buildings, among them St-Gangolf's church and St-Elisabeth's hospital. Most of the mercenaries were later arrested, and one of them was hanged on the Grote Markt in front of a large audience. Maps from that era clearly show the damage done by the fire: a wide strip through the city was destroyed.
The combined result of the siege and the fire was that about a third of the city was destroyed.
Golden age
Linen and silk
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 immigrants who were fleeing the Spanish occupation of their own cities made the city prosper again. The new citizens had a lot of expertise in
linen and
silk trading, and the city's population grew from 18,000 in
1573 to around 40,000 in
1622. At one point, in
1621, over 50% of the population was Flemish-born. Haarlem's linen became world famous and the city flourished, just like the rest of the country: the
Golden Age in the
United Provinces had started.
Infrastructure
In
1632 a tow canal between Haarlem and
Amsterdam, the
Haarlemmertrekvaart was opened, the first tow canal in the country. The empty areas in the city caused by the fire of 1576 were filled with new houses and buildings. Even outside the city wall buildings were constructed -- in 1643 about 400 houses were counted outside the wall. Having buildings outside the city walls wasn't a desirable situation to the city administration. Not only because these buildings would be vulnerable in case of an attack on the city, but also because there was less control over taxes and city regulations outside the walls. Therefore a major project was initiated in 1671: expanding the city northwards. Two new canals were dug, and a new defensive wall was constructed (the current
Staten en Prinsenbolwerk). Two old city gates, the Janspoort and Kruispoort, were demolished. The idea that a city had to be square-shaped was abandoned.
Cultural life
Haarlem's cultural life also prospered, with famous painters like
Frans Hals and
Jacob van Ruisdael, the architect
Lieven de Key and
Jan Steen who made many paintings in Haarlem. On the
Grote Markt, the central market square, there's a statue of
Laurens Janszoon Coster who is allegedly the inventor of the
printing press (however, most scholars agree that the scarce evidence seems to point to
Johann Gutenberg as the first European inventor). In 1628 a
chemist in Haarlem goes broke, and decides to join the
VOC to sail to the East. His name, Jeronimus Cornelisz, will always be connected with the
Batavia ship.
Beer brewing
Beer brewing was a very important industry in Haarlem. Until the 16th century the water for the beer was taken from the canals in the city. These were, through the Spaarne and the IJ, connected to seawater. However, the water in the canals was getting more and more polluted, and no longer suitable for brewing beer. A place 1,5 kilometers south-west of the city was then used to take fresh water in. However, the quality of that water wasn't high enough either. From the 17th century a canal (
Santvaert) was used to transport water from the dunes to the city. The water was transported in barrels on ships. The location where the water was taken is called the
Brouwerskolkje, and the canal to there still exists, and is now called the Brewers' Canal (
Brouwersgracht).
Haarlem was a major beer producer in the Netherlands. The majority of the beer it produced was consumed in
Noord-Holland. During the Spanish siege there were about 50 brewing companies in the city; while 45 years later in 1620 the city numbered in the vicinity of 100 breweries.
There was another epidemic of the
Black Death in
1657, which took a heavy toll in the 6 months it ravaged the city.
From the end of the 17th century the economic situation in the city turned sour, for a long time. In 1752 there were only seven beer breweries left, and in 1820 no breweries were registered in the city anymore. In the
1990s the Stichting Haarlems Biergenootschap revived some of the old recipes under the new
Jopen beer brand, that's marketed as a "Haarlem bier".
Tulip centre
In the 1630s, Haarlem was (and still is) a major trading centre for tulips, and it was the epicenter during
tulip mania, when outrageous prices were paid for
tulip bulbs. From the time that the
Leiden-Haarlem canal
Leidsevaart opened in
1656, it became popular to ride from
Rotterdam to
Amsterdam by passenger boat rather than coach. The canals were dug for passenger service only, and were comfortable though slow. The
towpath led these passengers through the bulb fields south of Haarlem. Haarlem was an important stopover for passengers from the last half of the 17th century and through the 18th century until the building of the first rail tracks along the routes of former passenger canal systems. As Haarlem slowly expanded southwards, so did the bulb fields, and even today rail travellers between Rotterdam and Amsterdam will see beautiful blooming bulb fields on the stretch between Leiden and Haarlem in the Spring.
18th century
As the center of trade gravitated towards Amsterdam, Haarlem declined in the 18th century. The Golden age had created a large upper middle class of merchants and well-to-do small business owners. With the dependability of the
trekschuit traffic between Amsterdam and Haarlem, many people had business addresses in Amsterdam and weekend or summer homes in Haarlem. Haarlem became more and more a bedroom community as the increasingly dense population of Amsterdam caused the canals to stink in the summer. Many well-to-do gentlemen moved their families to summer homes in the Spring and commuted between addresses. Popular places for summer homes were along the Spaarne in southern Haarlem.
Pieter Teyler van der Hulst and
Henry Hope built summer homes there, as well as many Amsterdam merchants and councilmen. Today, it's still possible to travel by boat along the Spaarne and has turned into a popular form of tourism in the summer months.
In the 18th century Haarlem became the seat of a
suffragan diocese of the
Old Catholic Church of Utrecht.
French rule
At the end of the 18th century a number of anti-Orange commissions were founded.
On
January 18,
1795 the "Staatse" army was defeated near
Woerden. During the night preceding the 19th, the same night that stadtholder
William V of Orange fled the country, the various commissions gathered and implemented a revolution. The commissions changed the city's administrators in a bloodless revolution, and the next morning the city was 'liberated' of the tyranny of the House of Orange. The revolution was peaceful and the Orange-loyal people were not harmed. The
Batavian Republic was then proclaimed.
The French army entered the liberated city two days later, on the
January 20. An army of 1,500 soldiers was provided with food and clothing by the citizens. The new national government was strongly centralized, and the role of the cities was reduced in the national debate.
The Batavian Republic had signed a mutual defense pact with France, and was thus automatically at war with England. The strong English presence at sea severely reduced the trading opportunities, and the Dutch economy suffered accordingly.
19th century
The textile industry, which had always been an important pillar of Haarlem's economy, was in a bad shape at the beginning of the 19th century. Strong international competition, and revolutionary
new production methods based on steam engines by then in use in England, dealt a death blow to Haarlem's industry.
In
1815 the city's population was about 17,000 people, a large percentage of whom were poor. The foundation of the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands in that year gave many hope. Many believed that under a new government the economy would mend again, and that export-oriented economic activities such as the textile industry would recover. However, this hoped turned out to be idle -- the Dutch economy remained stuck. The
Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij (NHM or Dutch Trade Company) was founded by King Willem I to create employment opportunities.
In Haarlem, then one of the cities in the western part of the Netherlands with the worst economical situation, cotton factories were created under the NHM-program. These cotton factories produced goods for the Dutch East Indies, and because the Dutch government levied heavy taxes on foreign cotton producers this was a good market for the NHM-factories. The programme started in the 1830s, but never managed to substantially reduce the unemployment in the city. The
American Civil War in the 1860s reduced the import of raw cotton significantly, and in 1872 the protectionism measures for the East Indian market were removed.
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.
Haarlem became the provincial capital of
Noord Holland province in the early 19th century. In the mid 19th century the city's economy slowly started to improve. New factories were opened, and a number of large companies were founded in Haarlem.
In 1814
George Stephenson designed the first locomotive. The government of the Netherlands was relatively slow to catch up, even though the King feared competition from newly established
Belgium if they'd construct a train track between Antwerp and other cities. Dutch parliament balked at the high level of investment needed, but a group of private investors started the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg Maatschappij on
June 1 1836. It took three years to build the first track, between Haarlem and
Amsterdam along the old tow canal called the
Haarlemmertrekvaart. The ground there was wet and muddy. On
September 20 1839 the first
train service in the Netherlands started. The train had a speed of about 40 kilometers per hour. The train service gave the economy of Haarlem a strong boost. Instead of more than 2 hours, Amsterdam was now only 30 minutes away. The old trekschuits were quickly taken out of service for passengers. Today it's still possible to travel by boat from Amsterdam to Haarlem, and pleasure boating has made Haarlem a popular place to stay.
The creating of new land in the
Haarlemmermeer made that the city could no longer refresh the water in its canals using the Spaarne. The new industry made the water quality even worse, and in
1859 de Oude Gracht, a canal, was filled in to create a new street.
In
1878 a horse tram started servicing passenger from the railway station to Haarlemmerhout woodland park, and in
1899 the first Dutch electric
tram ran in Haarlem. From 1879 the population of the city almost doubled in thirty years, from 36,976 to 69,410 in 1909. Not only did the population grow, but the city was expanding rapidly too. The Leidsebuurt district was incorporated into Haarlem in the 1880s. A small part of (the now defunct) municipality of Schoten was incorporated in 1884 because the council of Haarlem wanted to have the hospital (het dolhuys) inside the municipal borders. This hospital was situated at "het bolwerk" on Schoten's territory.
20th century
In the beginning of the 20th century the city expanded north. As early as 1905 an official plan was presented by the Haarlem municipality for expansion. However, the surrounding municipalities didn't agree, and it would take 25 years to come to an agreement. On
may 1,
1927 the municipality of Schoten became part of Haarlem, as well as part of
Spaarndam, Bloemendaal and Heemstede. The population increased at once with 31,184 citizens.
In 1908, a
renewed railway station was opened. The station was elevated, so traffic in the city was no longer hampered by railway crossings. In
1911,
Anthony Fokker showed his plane,
de Spin to the audience in Haarlem by flying around the Sint-Bavokerk on
Queen's Day.
Later the expansion of the city went southwards (Schalkwijk) and eastwards (Waarderpolder). In
1932,
Vroom & Dreesmann, a Dutch retailer built a department store at Verwulft. Many buildings were demolished, except one small chemist's shop on the corner, "Van der Pigge", who refused to be bought out and which is now encapsulated by the V&D building.
The city went through rough times during the
Great Depression of
1930s.
During
World War II Hannie Schaft worked for a Dutch resistance group; she was captured by the Germans and executed just before the end of the war in 1945. From
September 17 to
September 21,
1944, parts of Haarlem-Noord (above Jan Gijzenvaart) were evacuated by the Germans to make place for a defensive line. The stadium of
HFC Haarlem, the soccer club, was demolished. Hundreds of people had to leave their houses and were forced to stay with other citizens.
From
September 22 there was gas available only two hours per day. Electricity stopped on
October 9. The German occupiers built a thick, black wall through the Haarlemmerhout (in the south of the city), as well as at the Jan Gijzenvaart in the evacuated area. The wall was called Mauer-muur and was meant to help defend the city.
In
1944 the family of
Corrie ten Boom was arrested by the Nazis; they'd been hiding Jews and Dutch resistance workers from the German occupier throughout the war.
After the war much of the large industry moved out of the city, such as the banknote printing firm of
Joh. Enschedé.
In
1963 a large number of houses was built in Schalkwijk.
Religion
The
Roman Catholicdiocese of Haarlem has been a
Diocese since
1559 (
Dioecesis Harlemensis). The original cathedral,
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). He accepted the position on
November 6,
1561. In 1569 he was advised to resign by the Duke of Alva, because of his reputation for drinking (
Dronken Klaasje).
Van Nieuwland was succeeded by Godfried van Mierlo, who would be the last bishop in communion with Rome Haarlem would know for 300 years.
Haarlem's cathedral was spared from
iconoclasm during the
Reformation in the Netherlands, because the city's mayor ordered the closing of the church for several months in
1566.
Just before the
siege of Haarlem by the Spaniards, symbols and statues linked to the
Roman Catholic faith were removed from the cathedral, however, after the siege, the Spanish army restored Roman Catholic
iconography. The guilds had to restore their old altars, at great expense.
On Sacrament day (
May 29) in
1578 Saint Bavo's Cathedral was attacked by soldiers of the
Prince of Orange. One of the priests was killed, and many objects 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 later converted it along the tenants of the Evangelical
Reformed Church. The new (and current) name of the Cathedral became
Sint-Bavokerk.
It wasn't until 1853 that a new Roman Catholic bishop was installed. A new cathedral, again called the
Cathedral of Saint Bavo, was built at the Leidsevaart (canal to Leiden) in
1898. The Bishop of Haarlem nowadays has a formal residence on the Nieuwe Gracht canal.
There is also an
Old Catholic bishop of Haarlem.
Famous buildings and locations
The city is famous for its many
hofjes: almshouses built around courtyards. These were mainly privately funded houses for elderly single women. Nowadays there are 19
hofjes in Haarlem; many open to the public on weekdays. Many hofjes are still owned by the original foundations, and are still mainly used for single (elderly) women.
Local government
The municipal council of Haarlem consists of 39 seats, which are divided as follows:
PvdA - 11 seats
VVD - 7 seats
CDA - 4 seats
GroenLinks - 4 seats
StadsPartij/Leefbaar Haarlem - 4 seats
D66 - 2 seats
Axielijst - 1 seat
SP - 7 seats
ChristenUnie/SGP - 1 seat
partij spaarnestad - 1 seat
senior citizen's party (ouderenpartij) - 1 seat
Miscellaneous
Local beer
Beer brewing has been a very important industry for Haarlem. The heyday of beer brewing in Haarlem go back to the 1400s, when there were no fewer 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 beer and brewed it again. The beer is called Jopenbier, or Jopen for short, named 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. Initially the beers were brewed at brewery De Halve Maan in Hulst, but now there are brewed at De Koningshoeven, the brewery of La Trappe, in Tilburg.
Coffeeshops
The oldest coffee shop in Haarlem is Het theehuis, but it's far from the only one. The most famous are the Willie wortel stores that are spread throughout the town and run by cannabis activist Nol van shaik.
A map of all coffeeshops in Haarlem (for google earth) can be found here.
Harlem, Manhattan
In 1658 Dutchman Peter Stuyvesant founded the settlement of Nieuw Haarlem ("New Haarlem") on the island of Manhattan in North America. This settlement later became the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City. In the mid-17th century, the primary Dutch settlement on Manhattan Island was Nieuw Amsterdam ("New Amsterdam"), on the southern tip of the island.
Cultural references
Folk singer Al Stewart mentions Haarlem in his song "Amsterdam".
The train station of Haarlem was part of a set during the movie Ocean's Twelve
The book Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire is set in Haarlem.
The book The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas, père has several scenes in Haarlem, most notably the ending, and it's the Horticultural Society of Haarlem that offers a reward for a black tulip.Further Information
Get more info on 'Haarlem'.
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