The Haarlemmerhout is the oldest public park of the Netherlands. It lies on the south side of

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

, on the same old sandy sea wall that is shared by the public park

Haagse Bos Haagse Bos (, literally ''Forest of The Hague'') is a rectangular neighbourhood and forest in the Haagse Hout district of The Hague, Netherlands, reaching from the old city centre in the south-west to the border of Wassenaar in the north-east. It ...

in The Hague and the

Alkmaarderhout Alkmaarderhout, locally known as "De Hout" (Dutch for "the wood(s)"), in a city park in Alkmaar, North Holland, Netherlands. The park is one of the oldest city parks in the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = ...

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...

History

On a map drawn in 1560 of Haarlem, the Haarlemmerhout is shown in the characteristic form that it has today. It was burned by the Spaniards during the siege of Haarlem, 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 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 arch ...

. 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 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 pleasur ...

in the sense currently given to public parks today. Though today all of the park lies within the city limits of

, the Southern end of the park was in Heemstede 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 (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

and had to be resolved in 1539 with a special map by Simon Meeuszoon.The oldest map of Haarlem on display in the North Holland archives, in 1539 by Simon Meeuszoon, made to resolve a border conflict between Haarlem and Heemstede and served the lawsuit in the Grote Raad van Mechelen. The Grote Raad was the highest court at that time. At the time the economy of Haarlem was depressed, so the need for extra income was high.

Gallery

Image:Hout monument Haarlem.JPG, ''Plaque in Haarlemmerhout next to old treestump.'' Image:Coster monument Haarlem.JPG, ''Monument in Haarlemmerhout to Laurens Janszoon Coster, once thought by Haarlemers to be the inventor of the printing press.'' Image:Hildebrand monument Haarlem.JPG, '' Hildebrand Monument in Haarlemmerhout. In the far background is

. This view is Jan van Vorel's vista through the woods.'' File:Aanzicht beeld uit de beeldengroep in park De Haarlemmerhout - Haarlem - 20374363 - RCE.jpg, View on sculptures ' in the park

References

{{coord, 52, 22, 00, N, 4, 37, 27, E, display=title, region:NL_source:nlwiki Geography of Haarlem Forests of the Netherlands Parks in North Holland Monuments and memorials in the Netherlands Tourist attractions in Haarlem