Haarlem
From Wikitravel
Haarlem [1] is a capital of the North-Holland province, situated in the west of the Netherlands on the river Spaarne.
[edit] Understand
Haarlem is the centre of a flower-growing district and the export point for flower bulbs. Many people commute to nearby Amsterdam.
[edit] History
The first record of the name 'Haarlem' dates from the 10th century. Located on a busy north/south connection route, the city became the seat of the Counts of Holland. In 1245 the city was granted city rights by Count William II of Holland. Due to the heroic acts of knights from Haarlem during the fifth crusade and their contributions to the siege of Damiate in 1217, Haarlem was granted permission to show a cross and a sword in the city's coat of arms. Originally known for its flower growing district, Haarlem in the beginning was also known for its textiles, shipyards, engineering plants and textile mills. In 1573, the Spanish ended its charter. Then, in the 16th and 17th centuries, Haarlem became known as a mecca for dutch painting. Frans Hals, Jacob van Ruisdael, and Adriaen van Ostade were all located here. Also in the 17th century it became a refuge for Huguenots.
In the beginning, all of the city's buildings were wooden and the risk of fire was always present. Unfortunately for Haarlem, in 1328 most of the city was burnt down. When rebuilding began, yet again in 1347, another fire spread through Haarlem. This time though, it engulfed the Counts' castle and city hall. However, the Count decided that he no longer needed a base in Haarlem and decided to move to Den Haag (Hague). With that, he donated the land to Haarlem and later a new city hall would be built in its place. It would take over 150 years for the city to be rebuilt.
[edit] Get in
Haarlem is on the main train line between Amsterdam and The Hague. It takes about 15 minutes to travel from Amsterdam by train. If you have – or rent – a bike, it takes between an hour and an hour and a half to cycle (depending on the cyclist) from the centre of Amsterdam, a fairly relaxing ride on typically level terrain.
If you're taking the train from Schiphol Airport, there is no direct service so you will have to change trains in Amsterdam or Sloterdijk. Trains are easy to use and you may be lucky enough to encounter one or more of the most entertaining ticket collectors in the country. They number singers and magicians amongst their members.
A good alternative is to use the big red bus 300, called the Zuidtangent, which runs every 6-10 minutes between Schiphol and Haarlem Central Station. There are a fair amount of stops along the way, but for a lot of the journey there is no traffic because the bus has its own dedicated lane. The trip is approximately 30-40 minutes. You will need to carry your luggage on the bus with you. You pay with a OV chipcard or a strippenkaart, a ticket that you feed into a punch machine when you board the bus. The strippenkaart costs just a few euros, and is available from the newsagent's on your left just before you exit the Schiphol terminal out into the bus pickup area. There are many bus stops clustered in this area -- the one for the Zuidtangent is across the street, and is indicated on the sign at the bus stop. From sometime in 2010, the Strippenkaart is no longer accepted on the 300 bus. OV card or cash only (4 euro single, good idea to have the exact change ready).
[edit] Get around
Haarlem is best seen on foot: it's about a 15 minute walk from the train station to the city centre. If you don't want to walk there are buses taking you from the station to the city centre and back every few minutes.
[edit][add listing] See
- Teylers' Museum [2]
- Frans Hals Museum The only good memory of the painter Toulouse-Lautrec about the Netherlands [3]
Corrie ten Boom [4] This house has now been transformed into a museum. This house was used in the 1940's as a place to hide Jews and others away from the Nazis. It is located in the centre of town. There are guided tours available as well as tours for groups. There is a gift shop on the premises.
Across the street, the small History Museum offers a glimpse of old Haarlem. During the city's Golden Age four centuries ago, Haarlem was a thriving commercial centre rivalling Amsterdam. Back then, the town was a port on the large Haarlemmer Lake, with the North Sea only about five miles away (threatened by floods, residents eventually diverted the lake into canals to preserve shipping business and then pumped the remaining land dry). As well as being the tulip capital, Haarlem was a manufacturing centre producing wool, silk, lace, damask cloth, furniture, smoking pipes (along with cheap, locally-grown tobacco), and massive quantities of beer. Haarlemers were notorious consumers of beer. It was a popular breakfast drink, and the average person drank six pints a day.
Saint Bavo Church. [5]Located in the centre of Haarlem's Grote Markt it is the oldest church in Haarlem. The Cathedral of Saint Bavo was built in Haarlem by the Catholics from 1895 to 1930 to replace the former Waterstaatskerk St. Joseph. That church was itself a replacement for the Sint-Bavokerk, that had been converted to Protestantism from Catholicism in 1578. The Cathedral of Saint Bavo now serves as the main cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam. Within the Cathedral, the former sacristy has been converted into a small museum (schatkamer) containing historical artefacts from Haarlem's Catholic past.
[edit][add listing] Do
Visit the Teylers Museum [6] which is the oldest public museum in the Netherlands. The museum hosts a collection of fossils (among which the famous Haarlem specimen of Archaeopteryx), minerals, historical scientific instruments and works of art, exhibited in a 19th century manner.
The Patronaat [7] is Haarlem's largest venue for live music. Their Fridays and Saturdays are dance nights and generally packed.
On summer days, hang out in the sun on Haarlem's 'Grote Markt' (near the Grote Kerk) after a long day of shopping or go sightseeing in Haarlem's ancient city centre.
- Spaarndam. Quaint old Dutch village, nice harbour, couple of restaurants and bars. Easy cycle from central Haarlem. Famous for its statue of Peter, the boy who put his finger in the dike and saved Haarlem from flooding. There you can find great places to enjoy a great cup of coffee or a cold glass of beer. It is a strictly people zone, meaning no cars or trolleys pass through. edit
[edit][add listing] Buy
Haarlem is a popular city for shopping in the region. It has been voted many times as Best Shopping City in the Netherlands and boasts a very diverse range of shops. The Grote Houtstraat, the main shopping street, has most of the obvious shops. The surrounding streets (Kleine Houtstraat and Gierstraat) house smaller shops, where you can browse or buy everything from high-end bicycles to teapots.
Shops are open from Monday to Saturday. Opening times usually are from 9am to 5pm, except on Mondays when shops open at 1pm. Many shops in the city centre also open on the first Sunday of the month and usually shops may be open from 7pm to 9pm on Thursdays as well, the so-called "avondverkoop" ("evening sale") although no special discounts will be given).
On the main square (Grote Markt) there is on Saturdays a General Market and on Mondays a textile market.
[edit][add listing] Eat
The inner city hosts large a variety of restaurants and eat-cafes. Worth mentioning are
- De Lachende Javaan, Frankestraat 27. Indonesian edit
- Restaurant/Brasserie Stempels; Klokhuisplein 9
- Restaurant La Plume; Lange Veerstraat 1
- Eet, Lunch en Biercafe Bruxelles; Lange Wijngaardstraat 16
- Grand Cafe Nobel; Spaarne 36
- Brasserie/Restaurant De Nieuwe Karmeliet; Spekstraat 6
- Restaurant Mooi Java; Kruisweg 32
- Grill Restaurant De Kale Pater; Schagchelstraat 19
- Lucas & Lucas; Lange Veerstraat 51
- Coffee Date. Great coffee and food, nice place, but terrible service. edit
[edit][add listing] Drink
Beerbrewing has been a very important industry for Haarlem. The historical Haarlems beer, recreated in 1995 is Jopenbier or Jopen.
- In den Uiver, Grote Markt. Lovely old Proof Lokaal facing the side of the Bavo Kerk. Great choice of beers and friendly staff and customers. Free jazz sessions Sunday evenings and Thursday nights. edit
- Tierney's. just off the Grote Markt, the only traditional Irish pub in Haarlem, friendly, nice crowd,show all major sporting events including Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Irish sports (if it doesn't clash with a soccer match), live Irish session every first Sunday of the month. edit
- De Vijf Hoek, Vijf Hoek. Cosy, local bar, highly recommended for atmosphere. edit
- Briljant, [10]. Good beer! edit
- Jopenkerk, [11]. Can there be anything more Dutch than changing a church into a brewery? The Jopenkerk just opened recently and already appears to be the place to drink beer. Meet locals of all ages and drink special -award winning- brew: Jopen beer. edit
- Stiels, [12]. R&B like is was supposed to be (hence not R'n'B). Expect blues performances, alternative bands and an occasional unexpected jam session. Good for an alternative dance night on Fridays or Saturdays. edit
- Club Stalker, [13]. Dance, house and other electronic music. Famed for 'Anti Kinky' - a gay friendly night - however all the other nights are very straight. edit
- Victor's Espressobar, Kruisstraat 35 (Haarlem), [14]. The best coffee in haarlem and home made pastry! edit
[edit][add listing] Sleep
The Haarlem hostel (Jan Gijzenpad 3) is located in the north west corner of the city. It's by far the cheapest place to stay, but quite a few miles away from the city centre.
- Sara, [15]. Sleepwellinhaarlem.mfbiz.com Stay authentic in haarlem in a historic Dutch Apartment. Just a 5 minute walk from the rail station and 10 minute walk to the city centre. edit
[edit] Get out
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