Netherlands/Berlin Trip - Haarlem      11th July:

Wigbolt Ripperda and Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer

    Innocent looking clouds covered the sky keeping the air cool as we headed towards the bus stop on the Ijdijk. An art show was being set up in the square around the small harbour. We wouldn't be around to see it unfortunately, today we were getting the bus to Haarlem.
    The small number 14 bus rounded the corner, and Rex handled buying the tickets in Dutch without a problem. His accent was now impeccable. We rattled down the suburbs, at times running alongside the Saarne that we had sailed down less than 24 hours earlier. Down more side streets and there we there, at the bus station just opposite the train station.
    In the Stationsplein, shared by the train and bus stations, stood a monument dedicated to Wigbolt Ripperda and Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer. During the siege of Haarlem by Spanish troops from 11th December 1572 to 12th July 1573 the city resisted heroically for months. Captain Wigbolt (1535-1573), Baron Wigbolt Ripperda of Winsum in full, was appointed military commander by Prince William of Orange and led the defence of the city. Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer (1526-1588), shipbuilder and timber merchant by profession, was ascribed the important role of leader of a regiment of women in defence of the city. Without further ado, we located where the tourist information office was and made a bee line for it.
    The office was inside the Stadhuis in the Grote Markt. Like all workers in the Dutch tourist information service, the chap we spoke to spoke excellent English, and he was extremely helpful and friendly. In no time at all we were laden with a map and a tourist trail walking guide.

Stadhuis

    We settled down in a cafe for coffee and tea, giving us time to take in all the information, catch up on Haarlem's history, and work out our agenda.
    Haarlem's history begins in Roman times, as a settlement along a through road to Velsen, a Roman garrison town. In the 10th century, a wooden Church of Our Lady and large stone house of the Count of Holland were built in Grote Markt square. The settlement continued to grow around this centre. In 1245, Count Willem II (William II) of Holland granted privileges to Haarlem. From then on, Haarlem became one of the most important cities in Holland. In the Early Modern Period, Haarlem developed itself industrially as a textile city, brewing city, and culturally as a city of painters. In addition, Haarlem was also known for shipbuilding.

Flowers in the Grote Markt

    During the Eighty Years' War, Haarlem strongly opposed Spanish rule. In 1577, the Spanish left the city and it once again came under the rule of Willem van Oranje (William of Orange). In the period after this, many Flemish settled in the city, often industrious people with much expertise, capital and many trade relations. Their arrival instigated a new period of growth for the Haarlem linen industry. Frans Hals, Haarlem's most famous painter from the Golden Age, was also born in Flanders. The Flemish architect Lieven de Key became city master builder in 1593 and built the Vleeshal (Meat Hall) in Grote Markt square, designed renovations to Grote Kerk (St Bavo's Church) and built the tower of Nieuwe Kerk (New Church).

The "Gaper" above Van der Pigge

    In 1631, the construction of the canal between Haarlem and Amsterdam was begun, followed in 1657 by the canal between Haarlem and Leiden. The first Dutch train ran between Amsterdam and Haarlem in 1839, and in 1843, the railway was extended to Leiden.
    Although Haarlem was already being overshadowed economically in the Golden Age by big brother Amsterdam, it continued to be a favoured place to live and stay for the rich and powerful. Both Lodewijk Napoleon (Louis Napoléon Bonaparte) and Princess Wilhelmina, mother of King Willem I (King William I), took up residence at Paviljoen Welgelegen (Pavilion Welgelegen), the current provincial government building.

Inside Drogisterij A. J. van der Pigge

    The Grote Markt (Great Market), previously called 't Sant, is the original centre of the city of Haarlem. The square owes its distinction and character largely to its historical buildings. It was ringed by the Stadhuis, the Great Church of St. Bavo's, and the Modern Art Museum and Archaeological Museum. In the 13th and 14th centuries the square was even larger, as there were no buildings on the south side. In those days a gallows stood on 't Sant, jousting tournaments were held in the square and traders sold their wares. Today was no exception, the square was covered with a vibrant market blooming with colourful flowers, stalls of cheeses, breads and fish, and an exquisite smell enhanced the senses. It seemed popular, even at this early hour of the morning.
    The hunting lodge of the Counts of Holland originally stood on the spot where the Stadhuis now stands. Count Floris V lived in the hunting lodge whenever he came to Haarlem to collect his taxes. His son William II preferred to live in The Hague and donated the remains of the lodge to the city.
    The wooden building was almost entirely destroyed by fire in the city in the 14th century. When the complex was rebuilt, it was used as the city hall. The current building dates from that period, with the famous Gravenzaal (Hall of Counts) now used as a wedding room. During that same period, the courthouse called the Vierschaar was built, recognised by the four columns on the right facade of the building. In front of the Vierschaar was the scaffold on which justice was administered.

Leafy Side Streets

Nieuwe Kerk

    We followed the trail down Koningstraat, hardly bothering to notice the Monument of the 20th century at the end of it; an ugly arch of metal ware, rather resembling a child's swing. But across the road was an extremely interesting exterior of the chemist's shop Drogisterij A. J. van der Pigge, a chemist's that declined to move for Vroom & Dreesmann's new department store in 1932. The pulling element here was the traditional "gaper" (yawning figure) above the entrance. This shop sold "Haarlemmerolie" (Haarlem Oil), a centuries-old remedy said to cure all ailments. Meryl delved inside to purchase magic mosquito killing potions; the interior was fascinating, like stepping back in time.
    Turning off the busy main street, we walked down a mixture of quiet alleys full of houses boasting much stained glass, lanes almost like gardens. Our detour brought us to the Nieuwe Kerksplein, a square on which the first newly built Protestant church in Haarlem stood, the Nieuwe Kerk. The distinctive feature of this church was the striking Renaissance-style steeple, built between 1613 and 1616 by the Flemish city architect Lieven de Key. The church stood on the former location of the St. Anna cloister. The steeple was built against the former Anna Chapel, which made way for the church in 1645. The church, designed by Jacob van Campen, and the steeple form a peculiar combination of two entirely different architectural styles.
    Near the Nieuwe Kerk we managed to gain access into Proveniershof, one of the gardens of the many alms houses in Haarlem. Most of them were closed today - it was Saturday.
    Crossing the Grote Houtbrug which spanned the Raamsingel/Gasthuissingel Canal, we strolled down the Houtplein, passing a couple of tempting Indian restaurants. Crumbs, it had been ages since I last had an Indian meal; I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
    The Houtplein became the Dreef, a wide avenue lined with trees on both sides skirting the Frederikspark, and buzzing with hordes of cyclists. Towards the end of this avenue, on the left, stood a long, red-bricked, imposing building, the Provinciehuis (current County Hall). Around the corner to the left was the front of the Provinciehuis, formerly the Pavilioen Welgelegen. This pavilion was built at the end of the 18th century by Henri Hope, a prominent banker from Amsterdam. The house in neoclassical style served primarily as a storage place for his valuable collection of paintings and antiques. In 1808, Louis Napoleon purchased the Welgelegen Pavilion, which is why so many people know it as his palace. After the period of French rule Queen Wilhelmina lived here, and since 1930 the pavilion has been the home of the Noord-Holland provincial council. To the south of the pavilion the city park, the Haarlemmerhout, lay. The woodland, which is centuries old, was redesigned in 1830 in the English country style by Haarlem landscape architect Zocher.

Pavilioen Welgelegen

    We circled around the pavilion and walked in the warm sunshine through the Frederikspark, crossed back over the Grote Houtbrug, and followed the Gasthuissingel Canal, eventually turning left up Groot Heiligland. It was at number 62 where we came across the Frans Hals Museum. We could not resist entering.
    The museum is housed in a picturesque listed building that was an old men's alms house from 1609, and was later in use as an orphanage. Frans Hals must have visited it when he painted group portraits of the governors of the old men's home.
    Hals stands shoulder to shoulder with Rembrandt and Vermeer as one of the innovative and famous painters of the Golden Age. His breathtakingly skilful and vivid painted portraits, often quickly painted with dabs of precise colour, were much sought after and were a source of inspiration for later artists such as Monet, Manet and Van Gogh.

Former Alms Houses of St. Elisabeth Guest House

    The museum contains the largest collection of Hals's paintings in the world, including the unique and world-famous "schutterstukken", group portraits of Civic Guard and Regents. What made Frans Hals great was that he dared to be different. His paintings have a vivid likeness, typical setting and seem to be in motion. He knew how to capture a moment in time and bring it to life on canvas. Every time you look at one of Frans Hals' group portraits, it feels like you've just disturbed a moment between friends. The museum also owns masterpieces by other famous Haarlem painters of the Golden Age, including Leyster, Goltzius, Ruisdael and Saenredam. I would recommend anyone visiting Haarlem putting the museum on their "must visit" list.
    Heading in a northerly direction brought us to the first department store in Haarlem, built for V&D in 1899. Continuing on we were afforded with a magnificent view of the Grote Kerk (Great Church) or St. Bavokerk through the trees.
    The Spaarne was not far from here, so we headed down to it, arriving at the Waag. The building was built around 1598 under the supervision of city architect Lieven de Key, based on a design by the painters Cornelis Cornelisz and Willem Thybaut. The building functioned as a weighing house for a variety of goods until 1915. The city council levied taxes on the goods brought to be weighed according to the type and weight of the goods. The Renaissance style building has two virtually identical facades made from stone from the Belgium province of Namur. The characteristic features of the building are the round-arched and cross-windows. The government function of this building is indicated by the coat of arms of Holland on the Damstraat side and the coat of arms of Haarlem on the Spaarne side.

Frans Hals Museum - An Old Men's Alms House from 1609

Haarlem's First Department Store

Waag

    A short distance down the Spaarne from the Waag lay Teylers Museum. Built in 1784, this is the oldest museum in the Netherlands. Many of the objects in the collection came from the estate of cloth merchant and silk producer Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, who bequeathed his private collection to the scientific community. Before his former home was turned into a museum, scientists came there to carry out research. The captivating historical display cases, lit only by daylight, contain objects such as minerals, fossils, paintings, scientific instruments, coins and medals.
    The river before us was chaotic with seemingly hundreds of small inflatables and motor boats skimming up and down the stretch in front of us. Boy, were we glad we weren't trying to sail through Haarlem today.
    Over the pretty, white Gravestenenbrug drawbridge, two monumental buildings stood with authentic stepped gables, dating from around 1630. From 1550 the buildings behind these gables housed the brewery "De Olyphant" (yes, you guessed it, The Elephant). For many centuries, Haarlem was one of the largest beer brewing cities in the Netherlands.

Teylers Museum

    
    

Gravestenenbrug Drawbridge

    Following the river around along the Koudenhorn, behind an impressive entrance arch, we came across the Teylers Hofje alms houses with their cosy green paradise inside. Pieter Teyler van der Hulst originally founded a hofje when his wife died in 1752 and he then purchased the Kolder hofje. That hofje was considerably renovated during his lifetime, but he found it still needed improvements for the residents. In his will he stipulated that a new hofje should be built in his name and the old hofje premises sold. The current hofje was built in 1787 from the legacy of Pieter Teyler van der Hulst, just like the Teylers Museum close to it, and is by far the most impressive and imposing hofje in Haarlem.

Bakenesserkerk

    Turning away from the river, we suddenly found ourselves looking at the Bakenesserkerk. The steeple of this church was restored in 1972, and closely resembled the steeple of the nearby St. Bavokerk. During the construction of the steeple on the St. Bavokerk, the material was found to be too heavy, causing the church to creak and a column to lean. On the advice of a Flemish expert, the steeple was dismantled and replaced with a new, lighter steeple made of wood with lead cladding. The fragmented remains of the stone steeple were used to raise the level of the churchyard next to St. Bavokerk. The larger pieces of stone were used to construct a steeple on the old Bakenesserkerk around 1550. Sadly it was closed today.
    Passing the Toneelschuur theatre and Philharmonie concert hall, we returned back to the Grote Markt, dominated by the imposing Grote Kerk or St. Bavokerk, the largest church in Haarlem. It was built in 1479 on the spot where a smaller church stood before it burned down in the 14th century. What makes this church special is that no piles were used for the foundations of the building. The city of Haarlem was built on a raised sandbank, and thanks to this sandy base no piles were needed for the construction of the church.
    The church used to be adorned with figures, but much of its splendour was destroyed during the "Beeldenstorm" (the iconoclastic fury in the 16th century), after which the church came into the possession of the Protestants.

Grote Kerk or St. Bavokerk

    The St. Bavokerk is sometimes called "Jan met de hoge schouders" (Jan with the tall shoulders), as the steeple is rather small in proportion to the rest of the building. The tombstones of Frans Hals and Pieter Teyler can be found in the church, which also contains the famous Christian Muller organ, the largest organ in the world. Mozart played this organ as a boy aged 10 while visiting the city with his father, a famous violin teacher, who came to collect a book from printer Johan Entschede, which described his own violin method. In those days, Entschede was the only printer who could print manuscripts.
    Just past the church was the Vleeshal (Meat Hall), decorated with countless ornaments and a beautiful stepped gable. The city needed a meat hall, as the mushrooming population led to a growing demand for meat. In the 17th century, the city council commissioned city architect Lieven de Key to design a finely decorated building using the best materials. He used natural stone, which had to be imported from abroad, and adorned the building with the heads of sheep and oxen, reflecting the original function of the building. The Vleeshal was used primarily for meat trading.

Vleeshal

    We were not finished with Haarlem yet. Behind the train station and Schotersingel stood the Museum het Dolhuys, which we just had time to visit. In the 16th century the Dolhuys served as the city "madhouse" but it has not been used as such for a long time. Today the Dolhuys is an interactive museum that lets you explore the world of mental disorders in a surprising and exciting way. It has received several awards including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2007, for the special way in which it helps visitors better understand the discipline of psychiatry. The main collection of the Dolhuys revolves around the history of psychiatry and how doctors handled madness through the centuries. As with such an experiential museum, we experienced the thin boundaries between normal and crazy. Perhaps Rex and Meryl brought me here to help me understand how my endless, high speed route marches around towns and cities were slowly driving them crazy. I did not take the hint.
    Sadly we just missed the bus back to Spaarndam, so we decided to rest our weary feet at a cafe. Our order was simple - three orange juices. Paying was not so simple. "We only take chip and pin cards," said the sour faced girl. "We only have cash," I said in a Mexican standoff position. Our cash offer won in the end.
    Later, back at the bus station, we chatted to an old lady who had clearly damaged her arm or shoulder. "Did you fall off your bike?" I asked jokingly. To my amazement, she laughed back with a, "Yes". This sprightly lady was 78 years young and still going strong, and she lived in Spaarndam. Sadly she had her shoulder operated on three weeks earlier, and was not getting any better. Our bus was late, "It was late earlier today," she said. It eventually turned up, the ticket payment machine was broken, and so our return leg was free.
    On our arrival back at Spaarndam, we discovered the art show had wound up. It was a lovely evening, not too warm and hardly a breeze. Fish occasionally jumped for a fly, and swallows wheeled overhead catching more insects. We found a blissful little restaurant in the square by the small harbour in which to dine and chill out. Over cool wine and beer, we took time out to discuss our options, deciding on staying in Amsterdam for a couple of nights.