Purmerland
Encyclopedia
Purmerland is a hamlet
of 395 (January 2007) in the municipality
of Landsmeer
, North Holland
, the Netherlands
. It is located just north of Den Ilp
and just south of the housing estate
of Weidevenne
, part of the city of Purmerend
. It is directly connected to both of these as Purmerland, like Den Ilp
and Landsmeer
is mainly characterised by ribbon building
along the main road.
painting is Frans Banning Cocq
. He was Mayor
of Amsterdam, Lord of Purmerland and Ilpendam
and Lord of castle Ilpenstein
. During the Dutch Golden Age
the country surrounding villages like these was Amsterdam's breadbasket
, as the draining of bog
land created bountiful fertile soil. However, the draining of the soil caused it to shrink, until it reached the water level of the Zuiderzee only a few miles to the east. Soil erosion thus brought about the demise of Purmerland's limited prominence. Nowadays the population is largely made up of town people seeking a country retreat in a small village now characterised by large mansions which have replaced the orihinal smaller cottage
s.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of 395 (January 2007) in the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Landsmeer
Landsmeer
Landsmeer is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-Population centres :The municipality of Landsmeer consists of the three villages: Den Ilp, Landsmeer, Purmerland.- Local government :...
, 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:...
, the Netherlands
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 is located just north of Den Ilp
Den Ilp
-Connection to Landsmeer:The village is connected to the main village of Landsmeer. Landsmeer is in turn connected to Amsterdam and Oostzaan. To the north lies the hamlet of Purmerland, on the edge of the munincipality of Landsmeer and closer to Purmerend....
and just south of the housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
of Weidevenne
Weidevenne
Weidevenne is a district of Purmerend in the Netherlands, west of the Noordhollandsch Kanaal across from the De Gors district. Its 14,451 inhabitants mainly live in terraced houses. The population of Purmerend is expected to grow to 90,000, mainly due to the continuing expansion of Weidevenne...
, part of the city of Purmerend
Purmerend
Purmerend is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the trade center of the region but the population grew relatively slow. Only after 1960 did the population...
. It is directly connected to both of these as Purmerland, like Den Ilp
Den Ilp
-Connection to Landsmeer:The village is connected to the main village of Landsmeer. Landsmeer is in turn connected to Amsterdam and Oostzaan. To the north lies the hamlet of Purmerland, on the edge of the munincipality of Landsmeer and closer to Purmerend....
and Landsmeer
Landsmeer
Landsmeer is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-Population centres :The municipality of Landsmeer consists of the three villages: Den Ilp, Landsmeer, Purmerland.- Local government :...
is mainly characterised by ribbon building
Ribbon development
Ribbon development means building houses along the routes of communications radiating from a human settlement. Such development generated great concern in the United Kingdom during the 1920s and the 1930s, as well as in numerous other countries....
along the main road.
History
Although the present size of the hamlet would not suggest it, Purmerland was once a village of some importance. The man standing highlighted at center on Rembrandt's Night WatchNight Watch (painting)
Night Watch or The Night Watch or The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq is the common name of one of the most famous works by Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn....
painting is Frans Banning Cocq
Frans Banning Cocq
Knight Frans Banning Cocq was a burgemeester of Amsterdam in the mid-17th century. He is best known as the central figure in Rembrandt's masterpiece The Night Watch....
. He was Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Amsterdam, Lord of Purmerland and Ilpendam
Ilpendam
Ilpendam is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Waterland, and lies about 4 km south of Purmerend.-History:The man standing highlighted at center on Rembrandts Night Watch painting is Frans Banning Cocq...
and Lord of castle Ilpenstein
Ilpenstein
Ilpenstein was the name of a ruined castle of the Free and high Lordship of Purmerend, Purmerland and Ilpendam, located in Ilpendam in the north of the city of Amsterdam.-History:...
. During the Dutch Golden Age
Dutch Golden Age
The Golden Age was a period in Dutch history, roughly spanning the 17th century, in which Dutch trade, science, military and art were among the most acclaimed in the world. The first half is characterised by the Eighty Years' War till 1648...
the country surrounding villages like these was Amsterdam's breadbasket
Breadbasket
The breadbasket or the granary of a country is a region which, because of richness of soil and/or advantageous climate, produces an agricultural surplus which is often considered vital for the country as a whole. Rice bowl is a similar term used in Southeast Asia...
, as the draining of bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
land created bountiful fertile soil. However, the draining of the soil caused it to shrink, until it reached the water level of the Zuiderzee only a few miles to the east. Soil erosion thus brought about the demise of Purmerland's limited prominence. Nowadays the population is largely made up of town people seeking a country retreat in a small village now characterised by large mansions which have replaced the orihinal smaller cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
s.