, the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. Its shape is nearly vertical, and is mostly shaped around a single road of the same name, with two roads branching off westward halfway along Den Ilp. Den Ilp itself is characterised as a narrow road flanked by ditches with individual bridges leading to separate houses. The village's population was 809 as of January 2007. It is a recent addition to the municipality. The former municipality of Den Ilp merged with two other municipalities to form the municipality of Landsmeer in 1991. In the Netherlands, the village is well known for its abundant lighting displays in the weeks leading up to Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

.

Connection to Landsmeer

The village is connected to the main village of Landsmeer. Landsmeer is in turn connected to Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 and Oostzaan

Oostzaan

Oostzaan is a municipality and a town in the Zaanstreek, Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town has a population of 9.104 inhabitats in december 2010. Oostzaan has got 11.49 km² land and 4.64 km² water....

. To the north lies the hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 of Purmerland

Purmerland

Purmerland is a hamlet of 395 in the municipality of Landsmeer, North Holland, the Netherlands. It is located just north of Den Ilp and just south of the housing estate of Weidevenne, part of the city of Purmerend...

, on the edge of the munincipality of Landsmeer and closer to Purmerend

Purmerend

Purmerend is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the trade center of the region but the population grew relatively slow. Only after 1960 did the population...

.

Origin of the name

Den Ilp is named Illip in local Waterlands dialect and original West Frisian

West Frisian (dialect)

The West Frisian dialect is a Dutch dialect spoken in the contemporary West Friesland region , Wieringen, Wieringermeer, the coastal area from Den Helder to Castricum, and the island of Texel. It is a Hollandic Dutch dialect but has affinities to the Frisian language...

. Illip originates from the word ilapa, denoting rapidly flowing water. The village was situated on the banks of a peatland stream named Ilp.

Famous inhabitants

• Anton Heyboer, a painter and engraver known primarily for his bigamist
  Bigamy
  In cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
  
   relationships, lived in Den Ilp. He died in 2005. His five widows continue to make the village their home.
• Saskia Laroo
  Saskia Laroo
  Saskia Laroo is a Dutch jazz musician who has been dubbed "Lady Miles Davis".Laroo was born in the Jordaan to Amsterdam as the eldest of four daughters. When she was six the family moved to Den Ilp. Laroo went in Zaandam to secondary school. For Den Ilp she played cornet in fanfare orchestra De...
  
  , an acclaimed trumpet
  Trumpet
  The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
  
  er, grew up in the village.
• Thea Dubelaar an author of children's fiction was born in Den Ilp.