Haarlemmermeer
Encyclopedia
Haarlemmermeer is a municipality in the Netherlands
, in the province of North Holland
. It is a polder
, consisting of land reclaimed from water, and the name Haarlemmermeer means Haarlem
's Lake, still referring to the body of water from which the region was reclaimed in the 19th century.
Its main town is Hoofddorp
. It is one of the largest towns (pop. 70,030) in the Netherlands whose name is not used as the name of a municipality. This town, together with the rapidly growing towns of Nieuw-Vennep and Badhoevedorp, forms part of the Randstad
agglomeration. The Netherlands' main international airport Schiphol is located in Haarlemmermeer.
times. In 1531 the Haarlemmermeer had an area of 26 square kilometre, and near it were three smaller lakes: the Leidsche Meer, the Spiering Meer, and the Oude Meer, with a combined area of about 31 square kilometre.
The four lakes were formed into one by successive floods. Villages disappeared in the process. One of those villages was Vennep, which the modern Nieuw-Vennep was named after. By 1647 the new Haarlemmermeer had an area of about 150 square kilometre, which a century later had increased to over 170 square kilometre. In Dutch, the tendency for lakes to grow over time is called the waterwolf
.
The waterwolf could be a dangerous place during storms. It claimed a famous victim on 7 January 1629, when Frederick Henry of the Palatinate, son and heir of Frederick V
, the "Winter King" drowned trying to cross it.
In 1643, Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater
proposed to endike and drain the lake. Similar schemes, among which those of Nicolaus Samuel Cruquius
in 1742 and of Baron van Lijnden van Hemmen in 1820 are worthy of special mention, were brought forward from time to time. But it was not until a furious hurricane
in November 1836 drove the waters as far as the gates of Amsterdam
, and another on Christmas Day sent them in the opposite direction to submerge the streets of Leiden, that the mind of the nation was seriously turned to the matter.
On August 1, 1837, King William I
appointed a royal commission of inquiry; the scheme proposed by the commission received the sanction of the Second Chamber in March 1839, and in the following May the work was begun.
First, a canal was dug around the lake, fittingly called Ringvaart
(Ring Canal), to carry the water drainage and boat and ship traffic which had previously gone across the lake. This canal was 61 kilometres (37.9 mi) long, and 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) deep, and the excavated earth was used to build a dike from 30 to 50 m (98.4 to 164 ft) wide around the lake. The area enclosed by the canal was more than 180 square kilometre, and the average depth of the lake 4 metres (13.1 ft). As the water had no natural drainage, it was calculated that probably 1000 million tons would have to be raised by mechanical means.
All of the pumping was done by steam mills, an innovation contrasting with the historic practice of draining polders using windmill
s. Three Cornish beam engine
s were imported from Hayle
: the Leeghwater, the Cruquius
(the largest Watt-design reciprocal stroke steam engine ever built and now a museum), and the Lijnden. Pumping began in 1848, and the lake was dry by July 1, 1852; 800 million tons were actually discharged. At the first sale of the highest lands along the banks on 16 August 1853, about 28 per acre was paid; but the average price afterwards was less. The whole area of 170.36 square kilometre recovered from the waters brought in 9,400,000 forms, or about 780,000, exactly covering the cost of the enterprise; so that the actual cost to the nation was only the amount of the interest on the capital, or about 368,000.
The soil is of various kinds, loam, clay, sand, and peat. Most of it is fertile enough, though in the lower portions there are barren patches where the scanty vegetation is covered with an ochre
ous deposit. Mineral springs occur containing a very high percentage (3.245 grams per litre) of common salt
; and in 1893 a company was formed to work them.
In 1854, the city of Leiden laid claim to the possession of the new territory, but the courts decided in favor of the nation. Haarlemmermeer became incorporated as a municipality in the province of North Holland
by law on July 16, 1855. Its first mayor was M.S.P. Pabst. The first church was built in the same year and by 1877 there were seven. By 1860 its population was 7237, and 40 years later in 1900, it was 16,621.
Initially agriculture dominated in Haarlemmermeer. But with 99% of the land owned by a few wealthy land owners, poor harvests, and low commodity
prices, life was very difficult for the tenant farmers. After 1900, the situation improved when commodity prices rose and most farmers owned their own land. Then greenhouse
farming developed. Seasonal labourers, attracted by good pay, boosted the population by settling in the villages along the Ringvaart. Maize, seeds, cattle, butter, and cheese were the principal produce. Today, large industrial and office developments have become prominent, especially at Hoofddorp and Schiphol.
The roads which traverse the commune are bordered by pleasant-looking farmhouses built after the various styles of Holland, Friesland
, and Brabant
, reflecting the various origins of the farmers. Hoofddorp, Venneperdorp or Nieuw-Vennep, Abbenes, and the vicinities of the pumping station
s are the spots where the population has clustered most densely.
In 1917 a military airport was built near the old fort of Schiphol. Nowadays, Schiphol Airport is the major civilian aviation hub in the Netherlands, using 15% of Haarlemmermeer's land area. In 1926, Amsterdam
's municipal council took over the management of Schiphol. After Stockholm's airport
, Schiphol was the second airport in Europe to have hardened runways, in 1937–1938. The name Schiphol means "ship hole". In the Dutch War of Independence there was a naval battle there.
, Abbenes
, Badhoevedorp, Beinsdorp
, Boesingheliede, Buitenkaag
, Burgerveen, Cruquius
, De Hoek, Hoofddorp
, 't Kabel, Leimuiderbrug
, Lijnden
, Lisserbroek
, Nieuwe Meer, Nieuwebrug
, Nieuw-Vennep
, Oude Meer
, Rijsenhout
, Rozenburg, Schiphol, Schiphol-Rijk
, Vijfhuizen
, Weteringbrug
, Zwaanshoek
, Zwanenburg.
, KLM Cityhopper
, Martinair
, and Transavia.com
have their headquarters on the grounds of Schiphol Airport in Haarlemmermeer. The airline alliance SkyTeam
has its offices in the World Trade Center Schiphol building on the grounds of Schiphol Airport. Schiphol Group
, which operates the airport, has its head office on the airport property. Iran Air
has its Netherlands sales office in the World Trade Center building.
At one time KLM had its head office on the grounds of Schiphol Airport. Its current head office in Amstelveen
had a scheduled completion at the end of 1970. When Air Holland
existed, its head office was in Oude Meer
, Haarlemmermeer.
from Amsterdam to Den Haag, crosses right through Haarlemmermeer. Other freeways are the A5
, from Hoofddorp to Haarlem (officially ends in Badhoevedorp), A9
from Alkmaar to Diemen and the A44, from Nieuw-Vennep to Wassenaar.
s designed by the Spanish
architect Santiago Calatrava
were opened. The bridges span
the main canal
of the Haarlemmermeer and are named after three string instrument
s; Harp
, Cittern
, and Lute
.
Unfortunately, in 2006 two of those bridges' structures already displayed clear signs of corrosion. All the bridges are currently being repared.
Schiphol Airport, the principal international airport of the Netherlands is also situated in Haarlemmermeer. Its destinations are worldwide.
, the largest Dutch railway company, serves the municipality with three stations: Hoofddorp(Also situated on the HSR but no stop), Nieuw-Vennep, and Schiphol (which is an High-Speed-Rail Station)
to the IJsselmeer
, passable for ships with masts over 6 meters tall. There is also a connection to the Kaag Lake system (Kagerplassen
), which extends to Leiden and beyond.
There are several canals within Haarlemmermeer itself, the main ones are Hoofdvaart (Main Canal) and Kruisvaart (Cross Canal). But these had initially no connection to the outside waterways, meaning that goods had to be reloaded at the ring dike. In 1895 a double canal lock
was built at Aalsmeer
, boosting the economy. In the 1950s this lock was closed and the canals are once again no longer used for shipping.
with the Haarlemmermeer municipality: Cebu City
(Philippines
) Hódmezővásárhely
(Hungary
)
To honour the relationship, two structures in Hoofddorp are named after the sister cities: The Cebu Citybridge and the Hódmezővásárhely fountain.
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...
, in the province of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
. It is a polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
, consisting of land reclaimed from water, and the name Haarlemmermeer means Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
's Lake, still referring to the body of water from which the region was reclaimed in the 19th century.
Its main town is Hoofddorp
Hoofddorp
Hoofddorp is the main town of the Haarlemmermeer municipality in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. In 2009, the population was just over 73,000...
. It is one of the largest towns (pop. 70,030) in the Netherlands whose name is not used as the name of a municipality. This town, together with the rapidly growing towns of Nieuw-Vennep and Badhoevedorp, forms part of the Randstad
Randstad
Image:Randstad_with_scale.png|400px|thumb|right|Clickable schematic map of the Randstadcircle 528 380 26 Schipholrect 426 356 498 436 Haarlemmermeerrect 399 166 479 245 Velsencircle 250 716 32 Delftcircle 220 642 60 The Hague...
agglomeration. The Netherlands' main international airport Schiphol is located in Haarlemmermeer.
History
The original Haarlemmer Lake is said to have been mostly a peat bog, a relic of a northern arm of the Rhine which passed through the district in RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
times. In 1531 the Haarlemmermeer had an area of 26 square kilometre, and near it were three smaller lakes: the Leidsche Meer, the Spiering Meer, and the Oude Meer, with a combined area of about 31 square kilometre.
Waterwolf
The word waterwolf is a Dutch word for the tendency of lakes in low-lying peaty land to enlarge by flooding and eroding their shores, aided sometimes by men digging peat for fuel. See Haarlemmermeer and Braakman....
.
The waterwolf could be a dangerous place during storms. It claimed a famous victim on 7 January 1629, when Frederick Henry of the Palatinate, son and heir of Frederick V
Frederick V, Elector Palatine
Frederick V was Elector Palatine , and, as Frederick I , King of Bohemia ....
, the "Winter King" drowned trying to cross it.
In 1643, Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater
Jan Leeghwater
Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater was a Dutch architect, mill builder and hydraulic engineer.- Biography :Leeghwater was born as Jan Adriaanszoon. Only later did he adopt the name Leeghwater, from laag water or low water. It is not clear exactly how the prevalent spelling of Leeghwater's name came about...
proposed to endike and drain the lake. Similar schemes, among which those of Nicolaus Samuel Cruquius
Nicolaas Kruik
Nicolaas Kruik , also known as Nicolaes Krukius or most commonly by the Latinized Nicolaus Samuelis Cruquius, was a Dutch land surveyor, cartographer, astronomer and weatherman...
in 1742 and of Baron van Lijnden van Hemmen in 1820 are worthy of special mention, were brought forward from time to time. But it was not until a furious hurricane
European windstorm
A European windstorm is a severe cyclonic windstorm associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure that track across the North Atlantic towards northwestern Europe. They are most common in the winter months...
in November 1836 drove the waters as far as the gates of 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 another on Christmas Day sent them in the opposite direction to submerge the streets of Leiden, that the mind of the nation was seriously turned to the matter.
On August 1, 1837, King William I
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
appointed a royal commission of inquiry; the scheme proposed by the commission received the sanction of the Second Chamber in March 1839, and in the following May the work was begun.
First, a canal was dug around the lake, fittingly called Ringvaart
Ringvaart
The Ringvaart is a canal in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. The Ringvaart is a true circular canal surrounding the Haarlemmermeer polder and forms the boundary of the Haarlemmermeer municipality...
(Ring Canal), to carry the water drainage and boat and ship traffic which had previously gone across the lake. This canal was 61 kilometres (37.9 mi) long, and 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) deep, and the excavated earth was used to build a dike from 30 to 50 m (98.4 to 164 ft) wide around the lake. The area enclosed by the canal was more than 180 square kilometre, and the average depth of the lake 4 metres (13.1 ft). As the water had no natural drainage, it was calculated that probably 1000 million tons would have to be raised by mechanical means.
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s. Three Cornish beam engine
Beam engine
A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...
s were imported from Hayle
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
: the Leeghwater, the Cruquius
Museum De Cruquius
The Museum De Cruquius occupies the old Cruquius steam pumping station in Cruquius, The Netherlands. It derives its name from Nicolaas Kruik , a Dutch land-surveyor and one of many promotors of a plan to pump the Haarlemmermeer dry. Like many well-educated men of his time, he latinized his name...
(the largest Watt-design reciprocal stroke steam engine ever built and now a museum), and the Lijnden. Pumping began in 1848, and the lake was dry by July 1, 1852; 800 million tons were actually discharged. At the first sale of the highest lands along the banks on 16 August 1853, about 28 per acre was paid; but the average price afterwards was less. The whole area of 170.36 square kilometre recovered from the waters brought in 9,400,000 forms, or about 780,000, exactly covering the cost of the enterprise; so that the actual cost to the nation was only the amount of the interest on the capital, or about 368,000.
The soil is of various kinds, loam, clay, sand, and peat. Most of it is fertile enough, though in the lower portions there are barren patches where the scanty vegetation is covered with an ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
ous deposit. Mineral springs occur containing a very high percentage (3.245 grams per litre) of common salt
Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...
; and in 1893 a company was formed to work them.
In 1854, the city of Leiden laid claim to the possession of the new territory, but the courts decided in favor of the nation. Haarlemmermeer became incorporated as a municipality in the province of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
by law on July 16, 1855. Its first mayor was M.S.P. Pabst. The first church was built in the same year and by 1877 there were seven. By 1860 its population was 7237, and 40 years later in 1900, it was 16,621.
Initially agriculture dominated in Haarlemmermeer. But with 99% of the land owned by a few wealthy land owners, poor harvests, and low commodity
Commodity
In economics, a commodity is the generic term for any marketable item produced to satisfy wants or needs. Economic commodities comprise goods and services....
prices, life was very difficult for the tenant farmers. After 1900, the situation improved when commodity prices rose and most farmers owned their own land. Then greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
farming developed. Seasonal labourers, attracted by good pay, boosted the population by settling in the villages along the Ringvaart. Maize, seeds, cattle, butter, and cheese were the principal produce. Today, large industrial and office developments have become prominent, especially at Hoofddorp and Schiphol.
The roads which traverse the commune are bordered by pleasant-looking farmhouses built after the various styles of Holland, Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
, and Brabant
Province of Brabant
Brabant was a province of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1815 until 1830 and a province of Belgium from 1830 until 1995, when it was split into the Dutch-speaking Flemish Brabant, the French-speaking Walloon Brabant and the bilingual Brussels-Capital Region.-United Kingdom of the...
, reflecting the various origins of the farmers. Hoofddorp, Venneperdorp or Nieuw-Vennep, Abbenes, and the vicinities of the pumping station
Pumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
s are the spots where the population has clustered most densely.
In 1917 a military airport was built near the old fort of Schiphol. Nowadays, Schiphol Airport is the major civilian aviation hub in the Netherlands, using 15% of Haarlemmermeer's land area. In 1926, 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...
's municipal council took over the management of Schiphol. After Stockholm's airport
Stockholm-Bromma Airport
Stockholm-Bromma Airport is an airport in Stockholm, Sweden. Stockholm-Bromma Airport is located west northwest of downtown Stockholm and is the closest to the city...
, Schiphol was the second airport in Europe to have hardened runways, in 1937–1938. The name Schiphol means "ship hole". In the Dutch War of Independence there was a naval battle there.
Population centres
The municipality of Haarlemmermeer consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: AalsmeerderbrugAalsmeerderbrug
Aalsmeerderbrug is a hamlet in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about southeast of Hoofddorp.Aalsmeerderbrug has a population of around 500....
, Abbenes
Abbenes
Abbenes is a small village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and is situated about southwest of Hoofddorp....
, Badhoevedorp, Beinsdorp
Beinsdorp
Beinsdorp is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 7 km southwest of Hoofddorp. Beinsdorp is named after a former island in the former Haarlemmermeer lake....
, Boesingheliede, Buitenkaag
Buitenkaag
Buitenkaag is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 8 km northeast of Leiden. The name Buitenkaag refers to the town Kaag and the surrounding lake area, the Kagerplassen.In 2001, the village of Buitenkaag had 247...
, Burgerveen, Cruquius
Cruquius (town)
Cruquius is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 4 km northwest of Hoofddorp....
, De Hoek, Hoofddorp
Hoofddorp
Hoofddorp is the main town of the Haarlemmermeer municipality in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. In 2009, the population was just over 73,000...
, 't Kabel, Leimuiderbrug
Leimuiderbrug
Leimuiderbrug is a hamlet in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 11 km west of Amsterdam.Leimuiderbrug has a population of around 40....
, Lijnden
Lijnden
Lijnden is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 10 km west of Amsterdam....
, Lisserbroek
Lisserbroek
Lisserbroek is an unincorporated village town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 10 km southwest of Hoofddorp. It is located along the Ringvaart opposite the town of Lisse in the area called the "Dune and Bulb Region"...
, Nieuwe Meer, Nieuwebrug
Nieuwebrug (North Holland)
Nieuwebrug is a hamlet in the western Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, North Holland, about 11 km west of Amsterdam.Nieuwebrug has a population of around 360....
, Nieuw-Vennep
Nieuw-Vennep
Nieuw-Vennep is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 10 km southwest of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol....
, Oude Meer
Oude Meer
Oude Meer is a hamlet in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 7 km east of Hoofddorp.Oude Meer has a population of around 230....
, Rijsenhout
Rijsenhout
Rijsenhout is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 6 km southeast of Hoofddorp....
, Rozenburg, Schiphol, Schiphol-Rijk
Schiphol-Rijk
Schiphol-Rijk is an industrial estate in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and lies in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer...
, Vijfhuizen
Vijfhuizen
Vijfhuizen is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 4 km southeast of Haarlem....
, Weteringbrug
Weteringbrug
Weteringbrug is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 9 km north of Alphen aan den Rijn....
, Zwaanshoek
Zwaanshoek
Zwaanshoek is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 4 km west of Hoofddorp....
, Zwanenburg.
Monuments and parks
- Stelling van AmsterdamStelling van AmsterdamThe UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defence Line of Amsterdam is a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam, consisting of 42 forts located between 10 to 15 kilometers the centre, and lowlands that can easily be flooded in time of war...
– the old defense line of Amsterdam crosses the Haarlemmermeer. Plans are being made to make this entire defense line walkable, but currently it is not possible to cross the major highway A4 that goes through it. This park is accessible at various points for recreation, including the Haarlemmermeersebos. - Haarlemmermeersebos – The largest public park in Haarlemmermeer and site of the International garden show Floriade in 2002, the park includes a large lake for swimming in the summer and a 40 meter manmade hill called Spotter's Hill.
- Museum De CruquiusMuseum De CruquiusThe Museum De Cruquius occupies the old Cruquius steam pumping station in Cruquius, The Netherlands. It derives its name from Nicolaas Kruik , a Dutch land-surveyor and one of many promotors of a plan to pump the Haarlemmermeer dry. Like many well-educated men of his time, he latinized his name...
– the Cruquius museum resides in one of the steam mills used to pump the Haarlemmermeer dry and is open to the public for a demonstration of the steam engine and a model of the Netherlands waterways and polders. Because the Cruquius steam engine is the largest ever built, the museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial HeritageEuropean Route of Industrial HeritageThe European Route of Industrial Heritage is a network of the most important industrial heritage sites in Europe. The aim of the project is to create interest for the common European Heritage of the Industrialisation and its remains...
. Behind the museum is a park.
Economy
Four airlines, ArkeflyArkefly
ArkeFly is a Dutch charter airline headquartered in Schiphol-Rijk on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands. It is the charter carrier of the Dutch arm of the German travel conglomerate TUI and its main base is Schiphol Airport...
, KLM Cityhopper
KLM Cityhopper
KLM Cityhopper is the regional subsidiary of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines . The airline, with its head office, the Convair Building, on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Schiphol-Oost, Haarlemmermeer, operates short haul services in and around Europe...
, Martinair
Martinair
For the American cargo airline, see Martinaire.Martinair Holland N.V., operating as Martinair, is an airline headquartered in the TransPort Building on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands. It operates cargo services to over 50 destinations worldwide. Services...
, and Transavia.com
Transavia.com
Transavia.com is a Dutch based low-cost airline operating as an independent part of the Air France-KLM group. Its main base is at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol while Rotterdam The Hague Airport , and Eindhoven Airport are its secondary hubs...
have their headquarters on the grounds of Schiphol Airport in Haarlemmermeer. The airline alliance SkyTeam
SkyTeam
SkyTeam, branded as SKYTEAM, is an airline alliance with its centralised management team, SkyTeam Central, based at the World Trade Center Schiphol Airport on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands...
has its offices in the World Trade Center Schiphol building on the grounds of Schiphol Airport. Schiphol Group
Schiphol Group
Schiphol Group is a Dutch company with its head office on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands.It is 100% shareholder of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, and Lelystad Airport. It also owns 51% of Eindhoven Airport, 19% of Brisbane Airport...
, which operates the airport, has its head office on the airport property. Iran Air
Iran Air
Iran Air , formally Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the flag carrier airline of Iran, operating services to 60 destinations, 35 international and 25 domestic. The cargo fleet operates services to 20 scheduled and 5 charter destinations...
has its Netherlands sales office in the World Trade Center building.
At one time KLM had its head office on the grounds of Schiphol Airport. Its current head office in Amstelveen
Amstelveen
' is a suburban municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the following villages and/or districts: Amstelveen, Bovenkerk, Westwijk, Bankras-Kostverloren, Groenelaan, Waardhuizen,...
had a scheduled completion at the end of 1970. When Air Holland
Air Holland
Air Holland was an airline based in the Netherlands. It operated passenger and cargo charters to Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean, as well as dry and wet leasing of aircraft to other airlines. It ceased operations on 25 March 2004. The airline was headquartered in Oude Meer, Haarlemmermeer.-...
existed, its head office was in Oude Meer
Oude Meer
Oude Meer is a hamlet in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 7 km east of Hoofddorp.Oude Meer has a population of around 230....
, Haarlemmermeer.
Roadways
One of the busiest freeways in the Netherlands, the A4A4 motorway (Netherlands)
The A4 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands from Amsterdam to the Belgian border near Zandvliet. Some parts of the motorway are still not completed. The completed route as of 2006 is divided into three parts: from Amsterdam via The Hague to Delft, from Vlaardingen to Pernis, and finally from...
from Amsterdam to Den Haag, crosses right through Haarlemmermeer. Other freeways are the A5
A5 motorway (Netherlands)
The A5 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. With a length of only , it is one of the shortest motorways in the country.The A5 serves as a connection between the A4 motorway at the interchange De Hoek and the A9 motorway at the interchange Raasdorp...
, from Hoofddorp to Haarlem (officially ends in Badhoevedorp), A9
A9 motorway (Netherlands)
The A9 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. The motorway starts off by going from the A1 at Diemen to the A2 at junction 'Holendrecht'...
from Alkmaar to Diemen and the A44, from Nieuw-Vennep to Wassenaar.
Calatrava bridges
In the presence of HM Queen Beatrix in 2004 three bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s designed by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
architect Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava
Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zürich, Paris, Valencia, and New York City....
were opened. The bridges span
Span (architecture)
Span is the distance between two intermediate supports for a structure, e.g. a beam or a bridge.A span can be closed by a solid beam or of a rope...
the main canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
of the Haarlemmermeer and are named after three string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
s; Harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
, Cittern
Cittern
The cittern or cither is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is descended from the Medieval Citole, or Cytole. It looks much like the modern-day flat-back mandolin and the modern Irish bouzouki and cittern...
, and Lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
.
Unfortunately, in 2006 two of those bridges' structures already displayed clear signs of corrosion. All the bridges are currently being repared.
Air transport
Railway
Nederlandse SpoorwegenNederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands.Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national railinfrastructure, operated by ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003...
, the largest Dutch railway company, serves the municipality with three stations: Hoofddorp(Also situated on the HSR but no stop), Nieuw-Vennep, and Schiphol (which is an High-Speed-Rail Station)
Water transport
The Ringvaart is an important waterway for commercial and recreational boats alike. A portion of it forms part of the sailroute from Hollands DiepHollands Diep
Hollands Diep is a wide river in the Netherlands and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse river. Through the Scheldt-Rhine Canal it connects to the Scheldt river and Antwerp....
to the IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer is a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe....
, passable for ships with masts over 6 meters tall. There is also a connection to the Kaag Lake system (Kagerplassen
Kagerplassen
The Kagerplassen is a small lake system in South Holland located to the northeast of Leiden. The Kaag Lakes are a popular area for boating, watersports, fishing, camping and walking...
), which extends to Leiden and beyond.
There are several canals within Haarlemmermeer itself, the main ones are Hoofdvaart (Main Canal) and Kruisvaart (Cross Canal). But these had initially no connection to the outside waterways, meaning that goods had to be reloaded at the ring dike. In 1895 a double canal lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
was built at Aalsmeer
Aalsmeer
Aalsmeer is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Its name is derived from the Dutch for eel and lake . Aalsmeer is bordered by the Westeinderplassen lake, the largest open water of the Randstad, and the Ringvaart Canal...
, boosting the economy. In the 1950s this lock was closed and the canals are once again no longer used for shipping.
Local government
The municipal council of Haarlemmermeer consists of 39 seats, which are divided as follows:- VVDPeople's Party for Freedom and DemocracyThe People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
– 10 seats - PvdALabour Party (Netherlands)The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
– 8 seats - CDAChristian Democratic AppealThe Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
– 7 seats - GroenlinksGreenLeftGreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
– 4 seats - Leefbaar Haarlemmermeer (HAP) – 4 seats
- SPSocialist Party (Netherlands)The Socialist Party is a democratic socialist political party in the Netherlands. After the 2006 general election, the Socialist Party became one of the major parties of the Netherlands with 25 seats of 150, an increase of 16 seats. The party was in opposition against the fourth Balkenende cabinet...
– 3 seats - ChristenUnie/SGPSGPSGP may be an acronym for:* Standard Gross Profit * a 7th grade program in lackwaxen PA, a Lubavitch Summer camp, part of Chayolei inc...
– 2 seats - D66Democrats 66Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
– 1 seat
Twin towns — sister cities
The following cities have a sister city relationshipTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the Haarlemmermeer municipality: Cebu City
Cebu City
The City of Cebu is the capital city of Cebu and is the second largest city in the Philippines, the second most significant metropolitan centre in the Philippines and known as the oldest settlement established by the Spaniards in the country.The city is located on the eastern shore of Cebu and was...
(Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
) Hódmezővásárhely
Hódmezovásárhely
Hódmezővásárhely , Romanian: Ioneşti) is a city in south-east Hungary, on the Great Hungarian Plain, at the meeting point of the Békés-Csanádi Ridge and the clay grassland surrounding the river Tisza...
(Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
)
To honour the relationship, two structures in Hoofddorp are named after the sister cities: The Cebu Citybridge and the Hódmezővásárhely fountain.