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Boskoop () is a town in the province of
South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
. It was a separate municipality until it merged into
Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; en, "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the r ...
in 2014. The town had a population of 15,050 in 2012 and covers an area of of which is water. It's the world's biggest joined
floriculture Floriculture, or flower farming, is a branch of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development of new varieties by plant breeding is ...
area. Boskoop is famous for its nurseries, particularly woody plant and perennial nurseries, of which some 774 are situated on long stretches of land, divided by narrow canals. Before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
almost all transport was conducted using narrow boats. A few exceptionally high footbridges crossing some of the broader (main) canals remain from these days. Between the World Wars the transition was made from fruit culture to decorative garden plants and trees. As a source of technical knowledge about the art of growing decorative plants, Boskoop remains world-renowned and unique. The name "Boskoop" has been given to an
apple cultivar Over 7,500 cultivars of the culinary or eating apple (''Malus domestica'') are known. Some are extremely important economically as commercial products, though the vast majority are not suitable for mass production. In the following list, use for ...
(
Belle de Boskoop Belle de Boskoop (also called Goudrenet, Goudreinet or Goudreinnette) is an apple cultivar which originated in Boskoop, Netherlands, where it began as a chance seedling in 1856. Variants include Boskoop red, yellow and green. This rustic apple is ...
) which is widely distributed in the Low Countries, to a
grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
(''
Boskoop Glory {{unreferenced, date=February 2013 Boskoop glory is a disease-resistant, cold-tolerant grape variety from the Netherlands, It is thought to be a hybrid between ''Vitis vinifera'' and ''Vitis labrusca''. It was developed in the 1950s at Wageninge ...
'') and also to a variety of
Calluna ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wide ...
(''Boskoop'') and
Weigela ''Weigela'' is a genus of between six and 38 speciesAll of the species listed in the 'Selected species' section are accepted by The Plant List, but most are still under review, and therefore subject to changes in status. of deciduous shrubs in ...
(''Boskoop Glory'') and blackcurrant ("Boskoop Giant").


Geography

Boskoop is located in the Green Heart (nl:
Groene Hart The Groene Hart (; English: Green Heart) is a relatively thinly populated area of the Netherlands covering much of the middle portion of the Randstad megalopolis. The major Dutch cities of Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Haarlem, Amsterdam and Utr ...
) of the
Randstad The Randstad (; "Rim" or "Edge" City) is a roughly crescent-shaped conurbation in the central-western Netherlands, consisting primarily of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht); their suburbs, and many tow ...
, spanning both sides of the river
Gouwe Gouwe is a hamlet in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Opmeer Opmeer (; West Frisian: ''Opmar'' or ''Obmar'') is a municipality and town in the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , ...
between
Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; en, "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the r ...
(to the north) and
Waddinxveen Waddinxveen () is a town and municipality along the Gouwe (river), Gouwe river in the western Netherlands in the province of South Holland near Gouda, South Holland, Gouda. The municipality had a population of in and covers an area of of which ...
(to the south), both also along the river. The municipality is bordered in the east by
Reeuwijk Reeuwijk () is a former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covers an area of 50.11 km2 (of which 11.89 km2 is water). Since January 1, 2011 Reeuwijk merged with Bodegraven to ...
and
Bodegraven Bodegraven () is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covers an area of of which is water. The former municipality of Bodegraven also includes the communities Mei ...
, and in the west by
Rijnwoude Rijnwoude () was a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covered an area of of which was water. Rijnwoude was formed in 1991 as Rijneveld through the merger of the former municipalities of ...
. A
vertical-lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swin ...
in the centre of the village connects both shores of the Gouwe.


History

It is assumed that Boskoop originated from the settlement ''Ten Bussche'', founded by
William I, Count of Holland William I (c. 1167 – 4 February 1222) was count of Holland from 1203 to 1222. He was the younger son of Floris III and Ada of Huntingdon. Early life William was born in The Hague, but raised in Scotland. He participated in the Third Crus ...
, in 1204. In 1222, the Abbey of Rijnsburg became owner of Boskoop. The Abbey decided to enlarge its tree and shrub inventory by making the farmers grow more trees than they would need for their own
orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...
s. From the 15th to the 17th century more and more trees were produced and decorative plants were introduced. At the end of the 19th century, Boskoop began with the export of its products, Germany being its first client. The history of Boskoop was greatly influenced by its location on top of a thick
peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficien ...
layer. When the Abbey of Rijnsburg became owners of Boskoop, the harvesting of peat for fuel began. But unlike other towns in the "Green Heart" where extensive peat harvesting led to the formation of large ponds and lakes, Boskoop was too far from the major cities and peat harvesting was not profitable. Also the abbey did not permit the excavation of the peat layer on its lands. So Boskoop still has fertile soil for agriculture and horticulture. An obstacle to the
arboriculture Arboriculture () is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. The science of arboriculture studies how these plants grow and respond to cultural practices and to their environmen ...
was the high
groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...
level, which was just below the surface at Boskoop. Many canals and ditches were dug to drain the rain waters, up to 2000 km at one point in its history. Consequently, much transportation was done by means of these waterways. By introducing new drainage methods which lowered the groundwater level, many ditches could be filled again. Yet at the beginning of the 21st century, there are still many canals in Boskoop on which many nurseries rely for transportation. As a result, Boskoop is sometimes called "Small
Giethoorn Giethoorn () is a village in the province of Overijssel, Netherlands with a population of 2,795 in 2020. It is located in the municipality of Steenwijkerland, about 5 km southwest of Steenwijk. As a popular Dutch tourist destination bot ...
". Nowadays, most plants are grown directly in pots, as opposed to open ground, and shipped to auction directly from the nursery. The viability of the nursery industry in Boskoop is also at risk, as nursery production has switched to container production, as opposed to field growing. The small size of the nurseries, the inability to mechanize, government regulations, the high cost of land, and the high cost of labor have all increased the economic pressure on the Boskoop nursery industry. The municipality of Boskoop had been in financial straits for the several years, in part because of the high cost of maintaining the constantly sinking roads, before it was amalgamated into
Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; en, "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the r ...
. On 1 January 2014 the municipality was merged into Alphen aan den Rijn at the same time as
Rijnwoude Rijnwoude () was a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covered an area of of which was water. Rijnwoude was formed in 1991 as Rijneveld through the merger of the former municipalities of ...
. When it was dissolved, the municipality had a population of 15,196 and a total area of .


Transport

Boskoop is served by Boskoop railway station, which is in the west part of town. In 2017, Boskoop Snijdelwijk railway station was opened. Boskoop is connected to the
RijnGouweLijn The RijnGouweLijn ( en, The Rhine-Gouwe Line), or RGL, was a proposed light rail project in South Holland, Netherlands, that used some new tracks and some existing tracks from the Gouda–Alphen aan den Rijn railway and the Woerden–Leide ...
, which runs from
Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; en, "Alphen upon Rhine" or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Old Rhine), where the r ...
to Gouda. Trains travel every thirty minutes in either direction. In peak hours, an additional two trains travel every hour in the directions of Gouda and
Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
.


Attractions

The
vertical-lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swin ...
at Boskoop is one of three similar bridges over the Gouwe; the other two are in Alphen aan den Rijn and Waddinxveen. Because of its central location, the bridge characterizes the village skyline. A new bicycle path was added to the bridge during its renovation at the beginning of the 1990s. Another historic building is the (now partially dismantled) Water Tower of Boskoop. It is located on the north-east side of the village on the same road crossing the lift bridge. Near the train station is an extensive rose garden (rosarium), with free access and open the whole year. More than 160 types of roses are exhibited here together with numerous other shrubs, trees, and plants. In view of its history, it is not surprising Boskoop has a nursery museum. It is located in an old nursery residence from 1870. Behind the museum is another rose garden with rose varieties from the 17th to the 20th century. From spring to fall, boat tours are organized through the many canals of Boskoop, which tour along the nurseries and nature areas and provide information about the history and surroundings of Boskoop. And once per year, a nursery canoe tour is organized.


References


External links


Historische vereniging Boskoop
{{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2014 Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Alphen aan den Rijn