Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Haarlem

Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Haarlem

Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem was granted city status or stadsrechten in 1245, although the first city walls were not built until 1270. Haarlem had a population of 161,265 in 2019.

Harlem is located on the river Spaarne, giving it its nickname ‘Spaarnestad’ (Spaarne city). It is situated about 20 km (12mi) west of Amsterdam and near the coastal dunes.

The city has been the historical Centre of the tulip bulb-growing district for centuries and bears its other nickname ‘Bloemenstad’ (flower city) for this reason. Now let’s look at the top 10 astonishing facts about Haarlem.

1. The Name Haarlem Means ‘Home On A Forested Dune’

The oldest mention of Harlem dates from the 10th century. The name probably comes from ‘‘Haarlo-heim’’. The name is composed of three elements: haar, lo, and heim.

There is no dispute in the meaning of lo and heim; in Old Dutch toponyms lo always refers to ‘forest’ and heim to ‘home’ or ‘house’. As for the word ‘haar’, linguists do not agree on the exact etymology, but it looks like it has several meanings, one of which would be ‘elevated place’.

This is because of Haarlem’s location on a dune. ‘Haar-lo-heim’ would then translate literally to ‘elevated place-forest-home’ or ‘home on the forested dune’.

2. The Precise Location of Haarlem Has Always Been a Place of Power in The City’s History

The Grote Market of Haarlem of Haarlem was a central point of power, army, and leadership in medieval Holland. In fact, for more than two centuries, a big castle on the square was the primary residence of the counts of Holland. Up until 1358 when they decided to definitely and officially move to The Hague.

They had already been using The Hague as an administrative center and ‘royal’ court for a few decades anyway. The move was partly motivated by three large fires; in 1328, 1347, and 1351. It destroyed several buildings including the Count’s castle.

Instead of bothering to rebuild, the count in charge at the time donated the castle’s grounds to the city. Some years later, in the 14th century, the new City Hall – the one we still admire today – was built on the precise spot where the Count’s castle once stood.

3. Haarlem Has a Female War-Hero Called Kenau Simondochter Hasselaer

Kenau Simondochter Hasselaer was the daughter of a Harlem brewer and the prosperous widow of a wood merchant. The beautiful Kenaupark of Harlem owes its name to her.

She is remembered as an unusually fearless and tireless woman who worked day and night to help rebuild the city’s defense lines, every time they would be destroyed by the enemy’s cannons.

It is also said that she led a group of 300 women fighters to defend the city’s walls. Although there is plenty of evidence that Kenau herself truly existed, her accomplishments as a fully-fledged soldier in the Spanish site are most likely glorified.

4. Black Death Ravaged Haarlem Almost Eradicating the City Forever (Twice!!)

Black Death commonly known as the plague, is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that is believed to have made up to 200 million victims across Eurasia and North Africa during the Middle Ages.

To this day the deadliest pandemic ever recorded in human history. Haarlem was not spared by the horror and went through two massive outbreaks. One in 1381 and another in 1657.

Both epidemics took their toll on the city, socially and economically. The first outbreak killed 5000 people, half of the city’s population at the time. The city barely survived the shock as the other half fled in masses.

The second outbreak rudely interrupted Haarlem’s slow recovery after the Eighty Years’ War and brought death and devastation back to its inhabitants for six terrifying months.

5. The Sint-Bavokerk on The Grote Markt of Haarlem Has a Magnificent Organ That Covers One of The Walls

This organ was built in the first half of the 18th century. Upon completion, it was the largest organ in the world (with the highest pedal towers).

It is so magnificent that it is even used in the famous novel and literary masterpiece, Moby Dick. It was used to describe the inside of a whale’s mouth and ‘all these colonnades of bone so methodically ranged about’.

On the right side of the organ is a small golden plaque. There’s an inscription claiming that world-renown composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played the organ in 1766 at 10 years of age.

6. The First Tow-Canal, The First Railway Line, And the First Electric Tram in The Netherlands All Ran from Haarlem

In 1632, the Amsterdamsevaat was opened between Haarlem and Amsterdam to be a tow-canal. A tow-canal refers to where barges get towed by animals or by manpower on a path by the canal’s edge.

The very first railway line in the Netherlands was also built between Haarlem and Amsterdam, along the old Amsterdamsevaat tow-canal. Passenger train service on the line began in 1839.

Faster and more reliable than the ‘trekschuit’, the train quickly made the Amsterdamsevaat obsolete and gave Haarlem the strong economic boost it needed.

Haarlem train station got so busy at some point and it needed to be connected further. In 1878, a horse tram was established between the station and the Haarlemmerhout woodland park in the southern end of the city.

The horses were replaced by electric tram cars hence creating the first ever Dutch electric tram that ran in Haarlem from 1899 onwards.

7. Sint-Bavokerk on The Grote Markt Ring Every Evening From 21:00 To 21:30

The bells of the Sint-Bavokerk are lovingly called the ‘Damiaatjes’. It is said the bells were offered by the defeated Egyptian port city of Damietta. This was after Haarlem soldiers cut the harbor chain with a ‘saw ship’ and allowed the rest of the fleet of European Crusaders to attack.

The bells were installed in the Grote Kerk and were rung every night to alert the population of the closing of the city’s doors. Today the bells ring to celebrate Haarlem’s eternal glory and great knighthood.

8. Haarlem Was for A Long Time a Hot Spot for Beer Brewing

Beer brewing was the biggest industry in Haarlem for about 500 years. It flourished in the Middle Ages, along with the two other main economic activities of the city: textile and shipyards.

Brewers used water from the city’s canals and the Spaarne river to brew their alcohols. Harlem became one of the three main beer producers in the Netherlands, along with Gouda and Delft.

Back then there were between 50 and 75 breweries in Haarlem alone. The beer industry in Haarlem slowly died down in the 18th century, due to the growing popularity of other drinks.

Today though, Harlem is once again a glorious beer town in the Netherlands, all thanks to the work of the Stichting Haarlems Biergenootschap.

9. Harlem Became a City Long Before Amsterdam or Rotterdam

Haarlem has an incredibly rich history, going back to pre-medieval times. The first documented mentions of the city date from the 10th century. Back when it was still a simple settlement built on a thin strip of land above sea level.

This strategic location, ‘high up’, allowed inhabitants to be protected from the agitated waters of the North Sea and IJ bay. It also meant that the village was at an ideal halfway spot on the busiest route in the country. This is the route connecting Leiden to Alkmaar, which helped it grow quickly.

Count Willem II granted Haarlem the city rights in 1245 – that is 55 years before Amsterdam was allowed to call itself a city and 95 years before Rotterdam.

10. Haarlem Has Been a Major Trading Center for Tulips Since a Long Time Ago

From the 1630s until the present day, Haarlem has been a major trading center for tulips and it was at the epicenter during tulip mania when outrageous prices were paid for tulip bulbs.

Haarlem was an important stopover for passengers from the last half of the 17th century and through the 18th century. This lasted until the building of the first rail tracks along the routes of former passenger canal systems.

 As Haarlem expanded southwards, so did the bulb fields. Even today rail travelers between Rotterdam and Amsterdam will see beautifully blooming bulb fields on the stretch between Leiden and Haarlem in Spring.