Heemstede

Updated on Jan 25, 2024

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Country Netherlands Time zone CET (UTC+1) Website www.heemstede.nl Province North Holland Area code 023		Elevation 1 m (3 ft) Postcode 2100–2106 Area 9.64 km² Local time Sunday 5:54 AM Team RCH

Demonym(s) Heemstedenaar, Heemsteder Weather 10°C, Wind SW at 34 km/h, 95% Humidity Points of interest Linnaeushof, Groenendaal Park, Huis te Manpad

Heemstede [ˈɦeːmsteːdə] is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

Map of Heemstede, Netherlands

History

Heemstede formed around the Castle Heemstede that was built overlooking the Spaarne River around 1286. Before 1296, Floris V, Count of Holland, granted Heemstede as a fiefdom to Reinier of Holy. During the 14th century, a village formed near the castle, which was destroyed and rebuilt several times in this period. A resident of this castle was Adriaan Pauw, who bought it in 1620. In 1653, Bennebroek split off from Heemstede, becoming a separate fiefdom.

Growth was slow, and in 1787 Heemstede counted 196 families. Even at that early date Heemstede had already gained the reputation it has today, of being primarily a "bedroom community" for the cities of Haarlem and Amsterdam. Wealthy city families left the cities in the summer, escaping "canal fever" which caused illness from the putrid canals. As a result, many estates were built in the 17th and 18th centuries, some of which (partially) remain until today such as Oud-Berkenroede, Berkenrode, Ipenrode, Huis te Manpad, Hartekamp, Bosbeek, Meer en Bosch, Meer en Berg, and Gliphoeve.

In 1857, the municipality Berkenrode was merged with Heemstede. In 1927, the northern portion of Heemstede, including a large part of the Haarlem Forest, was in turn added to the city of Haarlem.

Monuments and parks

Groenendaal park: Designed by John Hope, it was formed by merging several country estates into one.

Vrijheidsbeeld (Freedom Statue), statue by Mari Andriessen to celebrate freedom and commemorate Heemstede victims of the Dutch Revolt. Located on the Vrijheidsdreef in Groenendaal park.

Slot Heemstede: The site of the Heemstede castle.

Hartekamp: Heemstede summer home of George Clifford, who hired Linnaeus to write his 'Hortus Cliffortianus', a detailed catalogue of the plant specimens in the herbarium and gardens of Hartecamp. George Clifford's house is closed to the public, but the surrounding gardens are used as a campus and are open to visitors.

Linnaeusbos (Linnaeus Forest): Originally a part of Hartekamp that was planted by George Clifford and documented by Linnaeus. In 2007, Heemstede celebrated Linnaeus's 300th birthday.

De Naald: The 'needle' is a monument placed by D.J. van Lennep to honor Witte van Haemstede, the savior of Haarlem at a battle which on April 26, 1304 and to honor the wounded of another battle fought against the Spanish on July 8, 1573. Both battles supposedly took place right at the corner of David Jacob van Lennep's house Huis te Manpad, where the monument stands.

Transport

The town is served by Heemstede-Aerdenhout railway station, which lies on the Oude Lijn between Haarlem and Leiden.

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Heemstede, June 2015

Local government

The municipal council of Heemstede consists of 21 seats, which are divided as follows:

VVD - 6 seats

CDA - 4 seats

PvdA - 4 seats

GroenLinks - 3 seats

Heemsteeds Burger Belang HBB - 2 seats

D66 - 1 seat

Nieuw Heemstede - 1 seat

Notable residents

Jeroen Bleekemolen (1981) – racing driver

Annemieke Fokke (1967) – field hockey player

Pieter Kooijmans (1933) – jurist and diplomat

Roepie Kruize (1925-1992) – field hockey player and coach

Johan Limpers (1915 – 1944), Dutch sculptor

Johan Neeskens (1951) – football (soccer) player and manager

Astrid Schulz (1939) – model and actress

Joost Swarte (1947) – comic artist and graphical designer

References

Heemstede Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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