Laren () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Located in the Gooi region, it is the oldest town in the area. Together with its neighbor

Blaricum Blaricum () is a municipality and village in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Gooiland and part of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (Metropoolregio Amsterdam). It is known for ...

, Laren is one of the most affluent towns in the Netherlands. Nationally, Laren is well known for its history as a late 19th-century art colony, preserved in the museum Singer Laren, its retirement home for elderly artists Rosa Spier Huis, as well as its wide array of shops. Laren is part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area, situated east of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Government

The

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

of Laren consists of 15 seats, which since 2022 are divided as follows:

Demographics

In 2007, Laren had the following demographic data: *Birth rate: 7.29 per 1,000 *Death rate: 17.94 per 1,000 *NGR: -1.07% per year In August 2017, there were 11,135 inhabitants in Laren. The municipality has a population density of .

Notable residents

The arts

* (1885–1980) artist, illustrated

H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...

' books * Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898–1972), graphic artist, illustrator and printmaker, lived in Rosa Spier Huis from 1970 * Barthold Fles (1902–1989) a Dutch-American literary agent, author and translator; lived in Rosa Spier Huis from 1986 * Maarten Krabbé (1908 in Laren – 2005) a Dutch painter and art educator * Hannie Lips (1924 – 2012 in Laren) a broadcaster and TV announcer * Anton Mauve (1838–1888), painter, Hague School & Laren School, lived in Laren 1886/1888 * Johnny de Mol (born 1979 in Laren) a Dutch actor and presenter * Albert Neuhuys (1844–1914), painter Laren School * Roberto Vander (born 1950 in Laren) a Dutch-Chilean actor and singer IMDb Database
retrieved 31 January 2020 * Saar de Swart (1861–1951) a Dutch sculptor * Vincent Willem van Gogh ( art collector)

Public service

Jan van den Brink Johannes Roelof Maria "Jan" van den Brink (12 April 1915 – 19 July 2006) was a Dutch politician of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and businessman. He was minister of Economic Affairs in three successive governments from 1948 till 1952. ...

(1915 in Laren – 2006) a Dutch politician and businessman * Gerard Croiset (1909 in Laren – 1980) a Dutch parapsychologist, psychometrist and

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that a ...

* Paul Joan George Kapteyn (born 1928 in Laren) a judge at the

European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...

* Pim van Lommel (born 1943 in Laren) a Dutch cardiologist, author and researcher into near-death studies *

Maria Montessori Maria Tecla Artemisia Montessori ( ; ; 31 August 1870 – 6 May 1952) was an Italians, Italian physician and educator best known for her philosophy of education (the Montessori method) and her writing on scientific pedagogy. At an early a ...

(1870–1952) an Italian physician and education reformer, lived in Laren 1936/1939 * Roelof Nelissen (1931–2019) a Dutch politician and businessman; lived in Laren * Mona Louise Parsons (1901–1976) a Canadian actress, nurse and member of an informal

Dutch resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

network * Elbert Roest (born 1954) a Dutch historian, politician, former teacher and former mayor of Laren * Henk Zanoli (1923 in Laren – 2015) a lawyer and member of the

in WWII

Sport

* Willemien Aardenburg (born 1966 in Laren) a former Dutch field hockey player, team bronze medallist the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

* Thomas Boerma (born 1981 in Laren) a field hockey player, competed at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

* Jacobine Veenhoven (born 1984 in Laren) a Dutch female rower, team bronze medallist at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Marcel van der Westen Marcel van der Westen (born 1 August 1976 in Laren, North Holland) is a retired Dutch hurdler. He reached his first international final at the 2007 European Indoor Championships in 60 metres hurdles, and won the silver medal behind compatr ...

(born 1976 in Laren) a retired Dutch hurdler

Gallery

Image:Laren Brink 17juni2006.jpg, Town centre Image:HervormdeKerkLaren.png, ''De Hervormde Kerk'' File:Laren DSCF0253.JPG, Laren File:Laren, de Sint Jansbasiliek RM511274 foto6 2014-09-03 13.38.jpg, Laren, basilica: ''de Sint Jansbasiliek'' Image:CoeswaerdeLaren.png, The Coeswaerde

References

External links

*
Official website
Municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland {{NorthHolland-geo-stub