Limmen
Encyclopedia
Limmen is a town in the Dutch
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...

 province of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...

. It is a part of the municipality of Castricum
Castricum
Castricum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Castricum is a tourist attraction in the province North Holland...

, and is situated about 9 km southwest of 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:...

. Before 2002 it was a separate municipality.

In 2001, the town of Limmen had 5602 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 1.2 km², and contained 2061 residences. The wider statistical area of Limmen has a population of around 6860.

History

Limmen has been mentioned in various documents since 750, by the name Limbon and later Limmen. It has seen prosperous times, but also times of struggle.

When the people of Limmen became more dependent on agriculture instead of trade at the beginning of the 15th century, the more wealthy moved away. For three centuries Limmen did not develop or grow, despite some efforts made to make the town more attractive. Around the year 1850 Limmen had only 450 inhabitants left.

Limmen was made more accessible in the late 19th century as an effect of the growing Dutch infrastructure, making Limmen a growing town. More work was created, especially by growing bulbs, which made Limmen the so called "bollencentrum" (bulb-centre) of the northern part of Holland.

Flowerdays

The annual "Bloemendagen" (Flowerdays) are a tradition in Limmen in the month of May. People living there make mosaics with the flowers of the Hyacinthus orientalis
Hyacinthus orientalis
Hyacinthus orientalis , is a perennial flowering plant, native to southwestern Asia, southern and central Turkey, northwestern Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. It was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.It is a bulbous plant, with a 3–7 cm diameter bulb...

and set up the mosaics in front of their house. People from the neighboring village of Castricum judge the mosaics and various prizes are awarded.

The village also has a botanical museum.
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