Haarlemmerhout
Encyclopedia
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...
. It lies on the south side of 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...
, on the same old sandy sea wall that is shared by the public park Haagse Bos
Haagse Bos
Haagse Bos is an area and a forest in the centre of The Hague, Netherlands. It reaches from the Center of The Hague near Malieveld to the city of Wassenaar...
in 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...
and the Alkmaarderhout in Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
.
History
Siege of Haarlem
The siege of Haarlem was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. From December 11, 1572 to July 13, 1573 an army of Philip II of Spain laid bloody siege to the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, whose loyalties had begun wavering during the previous summer...
, but replanted. The east-west road at the southern edge of the park still exists and is called the Spanjaardslaan (Spaniard's lane) in memory of this event.
Across the centuries, various landscape artists have made new plans for this wood. But the long vista through the eastern portion of the park designed in 1760 by Jan van Vorel exists up to this day, affording a view of the government building villa Welgelegen
Villa Welgelegen
Villa Welgelegen is a historical building in Haarlem, the Netherlands, which currently houses the offices of the provincial executives of North Holland. Located at the north end of a public park in the city, it is an example of neoclassical architecture, unusual for its style in the...
.
Though several parks in the Netherlands date from medieval times, the Haarlemmerhout is special because it was never locked by a gate, and when the park was redesigned in 1760, it was planted in the fashionable English style with a view for public access. Though in earlier centuries the park served as a common ground for farm animals and fire kindling, the redesigned park came to be used as a place for recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
in the sense currently given to public parks today.
Though today all of the park lies within the city limits of 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...
, the Southern end of the park was in Heemstede
Heemstede
Heemstede is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History :Heemstede formed around the Castle Heemstede that was built on the Spaarne River around 1286. Before 1296, Floris V, Count of Holland, granted Heemstede as a fiefdom to Reinier of Holy...
until this land was annexed by Haarlem in 1927. Heemstede did not charge taxes on drinking bier and wine in public taverns, and for this reason drinking in Heemstede taverns in the park was very popular and even caused an argument between the Haarlem city council and the Heemstede city council that escalated to the high court of Mechelen
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
and had to be resolved in 1539 with a special map by Simon Meeuszoon. At the time the economy of Haarlem was depressed, so the need for extra income was high.