Tuesday 8 March 2011

ABC Wednesday, H for Haarlem


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Wikipedia says:
Haarlem, Harlem in English, is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Noord Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic. Haarlem lies in the northern part of the Randstad, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in Europe.
 

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Haarlem has a rich history dating back to pre-medieval times, as it lies on a thin strip of land above sea level known as the strandwal (beach ridge), which connects Leiden to Alkmaar. The people on this narrow strip of land struggled against the waters of the North Sea from the west, and the waters of the IJ and the Haarlem Lake from the east. Haarlem was able to become wealthy with toll revenues that it collected from ships and travellers moving on this busy North-South route. However, as shipping became increasingly important economically, the city of Amsterdam became the main Dutch city of North Holland during the Dutch Golden Age. Haarlem became a quiet bedroom community, and for this reason, Haarlem still has many of its central medieval buildings intact. Today many of them are on the Dutch Heritage register known as Rijksmonuments. The list of Rijksmonuments in Haarlem gives an overview of these per neighborhood, with the majority in the old city center.

The oldest mentioning of Haarlem dates from the 10th century. By the 12th century it was a fortified town, and Haarlem became the residence of the Counts of Holland.




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Illustrations by Anton Pieck


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or
Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with H.

29 comments:

Kay said...

Since I only think of New York when I hear of Harlem, it's fun to see the original Haarlem. Thank you for this fun post, Wil.

Anya said...

Daar woont een neefje van mij
lekker kort bij de zee :-)
Haarlem is een prachtige en heel gezellige stad !!!!
Fijne avond
(en bedankt voor de leuke mail van vrouwendag :-)

Pat - Arkansas said...

A lovely "H" post, Wil, with interesting information. The sketches by Anton Pieck are just beautiful.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Great choice for letter H. Those structures are pretty grand!

Have a peek on my letter H, see you.

Kay L. Davies said...

I did know that Harlem in New York was named after Haarlem in The Netherlands, and that New York was originally New Amsterdam, but I really didn't know anything about Haarlem.
This is a very interesting post, Wil, and I especially like the artist's illustrations.
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

J.Rylie.C said...

So pretty!

Hygiene, hearty treats, and a hat

anthonynorth said...

I love such historic places.

Roger Owen Green said...

What the others said about Harlem and Haarlem - heard of the Dutch one, but didn't know much about it!

Vicki Lane said...

Very interesting...and such beautiful illustrations!

Janice Thomson said...

It's so neat coming here Wil - there's always a new and interesting
post on something I know nothing about. Love the sketches too!

Leslie: said...

Good to know the medieval structures will remain! Here in Canada, it seems if a building is 50 years old, it must come down to make room for something more modern! Sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

Leslie
ABCW Team

photowannabe said...

I recognize Haarlem as the place where Corrie Ten Boom lived. I loved her story called The Hiding Place. Very powerful.

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for this nice journey.

Please have a good Wednesday.


daily athens

Arkansas Patti said...

I love those sketches and they look so much like what is still there today.
I knew New York was once Dutch but I didn't know Harlem was named for the Dutch town Haarlem.
I always learn here Wil. Thank you.

nonizamboni said...

Thanks for sharing this rich bit of history. The artwork of the city is great too.
Here's to a great week, Wil!

Kim, USA said...

Very interesting post. I like the photos here thanks for sharing!
ABC Wednesday-H

Martha Z said...

Very interesting, of course it is a name brought to New Amsterdam, now New York, by the Dutch. One of my ancestors was an early Dutch immigrant.

Hildred said...

Beautiful buildings, and the sketches are particularly lovely. Enjoyed hearing the history of this ancient city.

Tumblewords: said...

I love the drawings and your wonderful narrative!

Jama said...

I love those beautiful buildings, with so much history behind it.

Indrani said...

This is interesting, hope i will be able to visit someday.

Chloe m said...

I bet it would be fun to visit Haarlem. But instead I got to read about it which is pretty interesting.
I loved learning about it. Thanks!

DawnTreader said...

Interesting history. I've probably heard some of it before but my first thoughts went to New York... We do get a bit Americanized through TV... ;)
Beyond the Lone Islands: H for Headology

Walk in New York said...

les illustrations sont tres belles

Publicity ;o) Every Friday (and the Weekend), The Challenge "Walk In The Street Photography"

Rune Eide said...

A fascinating combination of history and very interesting drawings. One more place to visit :-)

Margaret Hall said...

Very, very nice...Enjoyed Haarlem~! Thank you for sharing..

Anonymous said...

Initially i thought Harlem in America.
It actually makes sense that there would be a European city with the name, America has adopted a lot of European names

SandyCarlson said...

Your post has me eager to visit your amazing country. Thanks for the images and the history.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful cathedral.

I love old towns!