Hoofddorp
Encyclopedia
Hoofddorp (ˈɦoːvˌdɔrp; literally translated as Main Village) 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. The town was founded in 1853, immediately after the Haarlemmermeer had been drained.
. In 1868 they were renamed to Hoofddorp and Nieuw-Vennep respectively. Hoofddorp became more prosperous than Nieuw-Vennep, and it rapidly became the most important place of the district.
. A fort was built next to the main canal, two batteries
were located in what are now the outskirts of Hoofddorp, and several casemate
s were built to the east of Hoofddorp. A large dike known as the Geniedijk (Engineers' dike) connected the fort at Hoofddorp to the batteries and the casemates, and ultimately to the fort at Vijfhuizen
in the west and the fort at Aalsmeer
in the east.
In 1856, the first windmill
in the Haarlemmermeer was built in the centre of Hoofddorp by Dirk David van Dijk. It was called "De Eersteling" (The first). Due to increased building around the mill it eventually fell into disuse. In 1977 the mill was moved to another location near fort Hoofddorp. It has operated regularly from that time and is now open to the public.
. From here there are 2 trains an hour to Leiden Centraal railway station
, 4 trains an hour to Amsterdam zuid railway station and 2 trains an hour to Amsterdam Central. Journey times to Amsterdam Central are 25 – 30 minutes.
and Haarlem
. These railway lines, operated by the Hollandsche Electrische Spoorwegmaatschappij (HESM), were closed on 31 December 1935.
In 1981, Hoofddorp was connected by rail for the second time, this time to Leiden and Schiphol Airport as a part of the Schiphollijn
. The Southern High-Speed Line
, that will open in 2007, will use existing conventional track from Amsterdam Central Station
to Hoofddorp, where it will branch off onto a dedicated track. The trains will not stop at Hoofddorp.
Hoofddorp is connected by many bus lines to many cities and towns in the immediate surroundings. Most bus lines are operated by Connexxion
. In 2002, Hoofddorp was connected to Haarlem
, Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Zuidoost
by the high quality bus line Zuidtangent
. In 2009 came the Second line from Amsterdam Zuid Railway Station to Nieuw Vennep Getsewoud. The Zuidtangent will be expanded by adding a line to Uithoorn
and Amsterdam
Ijburg
.
The bus station at Spaarne Hospital in Hoofddorp is the world's biggest structure built entirely from synthetic materials: factory-cut polystyrene
foam with a polyester
skin. At this moment it has been painted in a sort of orange/gold color.
branches off to Haarlem
from the A4 motorway
that leads to Amsterdam
and The Hague
. The A9 motorway
can easily be reached via Badhoevedorp or the junction
of the A4 and A9 at Knooppunt Badhoevedorp.
Hoofddorp itself lies on the crossing of the two main secondary roads in Haarlemmermeer
: the N201 from Hilversum
to Zandvoort
and the N520, that runs alongside the main canal of the Haarlemmermeer and dissects the polder
from north to south. The suburb of Toolenburg is connected to an as yet to be developed industrial area by the bridge Lute, which was designed by architect
Santiago Calatrava
as part of a series of 3 bridges over the main canal along the N520. The secondary road N205 connects Nieuw Vennep to Haarlem
and is part of the ring around Hoofddorp; the N201 also forms part of the ring.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
of the Haarlemmermeer
Haarlemmermeer
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...
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:...
in 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...
. In 2009, the population was just over 73,000. The town was founded in 1853, immediately after the Haarlemmermeer had been drained.
History
After the draining of the Haarlemmermeer, two villages, Kruisdorp (Crossvillage) and Venneperdorp (Vennepervillage), were founded in the centre of the polderPolder
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...
. In 1868 they were renamed to Hoofddorp and Nieuw-Vennep respectively. Hoofddorp became more prosperous than Nieuw-Vennep, and it rapidly became the most important place of the district.
Landmarks
In the late nineteenth century Hoofddorp was included in the Defense line of AmsterdamStelling van Amsterdam
The 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...
. A fort was built next to the main canal, two batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
were located in what are now the outskirts of Hoofddorp, and several casemate
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
s were built to the east of Hoofddorp. A large dike known as the Geniedijk (Engineers' dike) connected the fort at Hoofddorp to the batteries and the casemates, and ultimately to the fort at 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....
in the west and the fort 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...
in the east.
In 1856, the first windmill
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...
in the Haarlemmermeer was built in the centre of Hoofddorp by Dirk David van Dijk. It was called "De Eersteling" (The first). Due to increased building around the mill it eventually fell into disuse. In 1977 the mill was moved to another location near fort Hoofddorp. It has operated regularly from that time and is now open to the public.
Transportation
The town is served by Hoofddorp railway stationHoofddorp railway station
Hoofddorp is a railway station in Hoofddorp, Noord Holland, the Netherlands.The station is on the Amsterdam - Schiphol - Leiden Centraal - Den Haag - Rotterdam main line.-History:...
. From here there are 2 trains an hour to Leiden Centraal railway station
Leiden Centraal railway station
Leiden Centraal is the main railway station in Leiden, a city in the Netherlands.-History:Leiden Centraal station opened on 17 August 1842 as the southern terminal of the first expansion of the Old Line from Haarlem. The original building was replaced by a new one, designed by D.A.N. Margadant, in...
, 4 trains an hour to Amsterdam zuid railway station and 2 trains an hour to Amsterdam Central. Journey times to Amsterdam Central are 25 – 30 minutes.
Transportation Information
On 3 August 1912, Hoofddorp was connected by rail to Leiden, AalsmeerAalsmeer
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...
and 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...
. These railway lines, operated by the Hollandsche Electrische Spoorwegmaatschappij (HESM), were closed on 31 December 1935.
In 1981, Hoofddorp was connected by rail for the second time, this time to Leiden and Schiphol Airport as a part of the Schiphollijn
Train routes in the Netherlands
This list of train routes in the Netherlands focuses on the routes taken by trains travelling on railway lines in the Netherlands. A list including all stops on the train routes can be found at Dutch railway services...
. The Southern High-Speed Line
HSL-Zuid
HSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line in the Netherlands to the Belgian border, with a branch to Breda. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway...
, that will open in 2007, will use existing conventional track from Amsterdam Central Station
Amsterdam Centraal
' is the central station of Amsterdam. It is one of the main railway hubs of the Netherlands and is used by 250,000 passengers a day, excluding transferring passengers. It is also the starting point of Amsterdam Metro lines 51, 53, and 54. The station building of Amsterdam Centraal was designed by...
to Hoofddorp, where it will branch off onto a dedicated track. The trains will not stop at Hoofddorp.
Connexxion
Connexxion is the largest public transport bus company in the Netherlands, operating in the west, middle, east and far northern part of the country. It was formed in 1999 as result of a fusion between the public transport companies NZH, ZWN, Midnet and Oostnet. Its name is a mutation of the French...
. In 2002, Hoofddorp was connected to 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...
, Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Zuidoost
Amsterdam Zuidoost
Amsterdam-Zuidoost is one of fifteen boroughs of the city of Amsterdam. It consists of four residential areas—Bijlmermeer, Venserpolder, Gaasperdam and Driemond—as well as the Amstel III/Bullewijk Business Park and the ArenA Boulevard area.Amsterdam-Zuidoost has approximately 86,000...
by the high quality bus line Zuidtangent
Zuidtangent
The Zuidtangent is a bus rapid transit service operated by Connexxion in the Netherlands.Its network consists of two lines:* Line 300 from Haarlem via Hoofddorp, Schiphol Airport and Amstelveen to Amsterdam Zuidoost....
. In 2009 came the Second line from Amsterdam Zuid Railway Station to Nieuw Vennep Getsewoud. The Zuidtangent will be expanded by adding a line to Uithoorn
Uithoorn
Uithoorn is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-Population centres :The municipality of Uithoorn consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: De Kwakel and Uithoorn.- History :...
and 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...
Ijburg
IJburg
IJburg is a residential neighbourhood currently under construction in the east of Amsterdam. It is situated in the IJ Lake and is being built on artificial islands which have been raised from the lake...
.
The bus station at Spaarne Hospital in Hoofddorp is the world's biggest structure built entirely from synthetic materials: factory-cut polystyrene
Polystyrene
Polystyrene ) also known as Thermocole, abbreviated following ISO Standard PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
foam with a polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
skin. At this moment it has been painted in a sort of orange/gold color.
Private transport
Hoofddorp is well connected to several of the main roads in the Netherlands. At Knooppunt de Hoek, the A5 motorwayA5 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...
branches off to 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...
from the A4 motorway
A4 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...
that leads 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 The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. The A9 motorway
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'...
can easily be reached via Badhoevedorp or the junction
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
of the A4 and A9 at Knooppunt Badhoevedorp.
Hoofddorp itself lies on the crossing of the two main secondary roads in Haarlemmermeer
Haarlemmermeer
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...
: the N201 from Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
to Zandvoort
Zandvoort
Zandvoort is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes...
and the N520, that runs alongside the main canal of the Haarlemmermeer and dissects the 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...
from north to south. The suburb of Toolenburg is connected to an as yet to be developed industrial area by the bridge Lute, which was designed by architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
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....
as part of a series of 3 bridges over the main canal along the N520. The secondary road N205 connects Nieuw Vennep to 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...
and is part of the ring around Hoofddorp; the N201 also forms part of the ring.
People from Hoofddorp
- Fanny Blankers-KoenFanny Blankers-KoenFrancina "Fanny" Elsje Blankers-Koen was a Dutch athlete, best known for winning four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. She accomplished this as a 30 year old mother of two, during a time when many disregarded women's athletics...
, 4-time gold medallist at the 1948 Olympic Games1948 Summer OlympicsThe 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - C. Joh. KievietCornelis Johannes KievietCornelis Johannes Kieviet was a Dutch teacher and writer of children's literature. He was born in Hoofddorp and is best known for his stories about a boy named Dik Trom. A statue of Dik Trom sitting backwards on a donkey can be found in the main square in Hoofddorp.- External links :...
, writer of children's literature. - Tineke NetelenbosTineke NetelenbosTineke Netelenbos née Tine Koomen is a Dutch politician.-References:...
, former ministerMinister (government)A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of Transport and Water Management in the second cabinet of Wim KokSecond cabinet of Wim KokThe Second cabinet of Wim Kok was the government of the Netherlands headed by Prime Minister Wim Kok during 1998 to 2002.After the elections to the House of Representatives on 6 May 1998, the allocation of the 150 seats was:...
. - Kenrick Zondervan, former UCF basketball player, playing professionally in Greece.
- Swen Huijer, professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
