Lisse () is a town and municipality 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 ...

in the Western Netherlands. The municipality, which lies within the Duin- en Bollenstreek, covers an area of of which is water. Its population was in . Located within the municipal boundary is also the community De Engel.

History

Early history

The history of Lisse is closely related and similar to the neighboring towns of Hillegom and Sassenheim. Based on a document from 1198 which makes official mention of the town's name, Lisse celebrated its 800-year anniversary in 1998, although there is an indication that there was already a settlement there in the 10th century. In the Middle Ages, Lisse was a small settlement; there were only 50 houses in 1500. Because of prolonged warfare (particularly the wars of Charles the Bold and the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

), poverty was prevalent. Its population lived from agriculture,

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

and peat harvesting.

Recent history

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Lisse was, like Hillegom, home to many

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representat ...

s of rich merchants and nobility. The forests and gardens of

Keukenhof Keukenhof (English: "Kitchen garden"; ), also known as the Garden of Europe, is one of the world's largest flower gardens, situated in the municipality of Lisse, in the Netherlands. According to the official website, Keukenhof Park covers an area ...

, Meerenburg, Wildlust, Zandvliet, Overduin en Akervoorde, Wassergeest, Grotenhof, Ter Specke, Dubbelhoven, Rosendaal, Veenenburg en Berkhout, Middelburg, Ter Beek and Uytermeer estates all added to the town's beauty and glory. Yet in the following centuries, every one of these estates (except Keukenhof) was removed to make way for the cultivation of

bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

flowers. The sandy soil in Lisse's surroundings were highly suitable for its growth provided the soil was fertilised. The nearby

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s were excavated and forests cut down progressively over time for more fields for the flower business. This brought employment and prosperity to this area.

Floriculture centre

In the 20th century, the bulb flower business continued to boom, resulting in the establishment of auction and trading houses, large-scale cultivators and cooperatives. Today, Lisse exports bulbflowers in large quantities to over a hundred countries worldwide. Located at the centre of the "Dune and Bulb Region" ( Duin- en Bollenstreek), Holland's flower-growing region, Lisse is also a major tourist attraction. During the spring when the fields around Lisse are in a colourful bloom, hundreds of thousands of local and foreign tourists visit the area. The only remaining estate that was not removed for flower cultivation (

) became world-famous for its flower displays.

Tourism and attractions

The most popular attraction in Lisse is

, open only during spring when the tulips are flowering. Also each spring a flower parade called the Bollenstreek '' Bloemencorso'' is held through the main streets of Lisse. In August the fantasy festival

Castlefest Castlefest is a medieval/fantasy festival in the Netherlands, held in the gardens of Castle Keukenhof in Lisse since 2005. History During the first edition in 2005, 3,500 visitors attended the event, in 2007 the festival attracted 16,000 visito ...

is held in the gardens of Castle Keukenhof. Other places of interest are the museums: *Huys Dever, a restored castle tower from the 14th century *Castle Keukenhof, part of the Keukenhof estate but open year-round *Museum De Zwarte Tulp (Black Tulip Museum), exhibiting the history of the Dutch bulb-growing region Lisse,_kerk_2007-04-18_13.41.JPG, Sint-Agathakerk Halfweg, veld met rode tulpen IMG 8991 2021-04-27 12.37.jpg, A field of tulips in Lisse Molenlisse.jpg, Windmill in Lisse De Keukenhof, Lisse.jpg, Castle Keukenhof

Sports

Lisse is the home of FC Lisse, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team currently playing in the Zaterdag Topklasse. On 3 May 2008 FC Lisse sealed the championship of the 2007/2008 season in the

Hoofdklasse The Vierde Divisie, formerly known as Hoofdklasse () is the second-highest league of amateur football in the Netherlands, and the fifth tier in general. Background The league is divided into two sections: Saturday and Sunday. This is a result of ...

Notable people born in Lisse

Abraham Rademaker Abraham Rademaker (1677 – 21 January 1735) was an 18th-century painter and printmaker from the Northern Netherlands. Biography Rademaker was born in Lisse. According to the RKD he was a versatile artist who painted Italianate landscapes, ...

(1677–1735), a Dutch painter and printmaker * Joseph Smit (1836–1929), a Dutch zoological illustrator * Wander Johannes de Haas (1878–1960), a Dutch physicist and mathematician, known for the Einstein–de Haas effect *

Jacob Veldhuyzen van Zanten Jacob Louis Veldhuyzen van Zanten (5 February 1927 – 27 March 1977) was a Dutch aircraft captain and flight instructor. He was captain of the KLM Flight 4805 and died in the Tenerife airport disaster, the deadliest accident in aviation history ...

(1927–1977), a Dutch aircraft captain, died in the Tenerife airport disaster * Egbert van 't Oever (1927–2001), a Dutch speed skater, competed in the

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

and

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( it, VII Giochi Olimpici invernali) and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( lld, Anpezo 1956 or ), was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from ...

* Adrianus Johannes Simonis (1931–2020), cardinal and Archbishop of Utrecht 1983 to 2007 *

Jenny Arean Jenny Arean (born Joanna Jenneke Josepha Klarenbeek, 4 October 1942) is a Dutch singer, actress and comedian. She is known for her contralto voice. Life and career Arean was born in Lisse and raised in Amsterdam. Her father was a waiter and her ...

(born 1942), a Dutch singer, actress and comedian * Harry Mens (born 1947), a Dutch real estate broker and television presenter *

Bram Moolenaar Bram Moolenaar (born 1961, Lisse) is a Dutch computer programmer and an active member of the open-source software community. He is the original author, maintainer, release manager, and benevolent dictator for life of Vim, a vi-derivative tex ...

(born 1961), a Dutch computer programmer, author of

Vim Vim means enthusiasm and vigor. It may also refer to: * Vim (cleaning product) * Vim Comedy Company, a movie studio * Vim Records * Vimentin, a protein * "Vim", a song by Machine Head on the album ''Through the Ashes of Empires'' * Vim (text ed ...

, a text editor *

Marco Vermey Marco Vermey (born 11 June 1965) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. He rode in the 1994 Tour de France The 1994 Tour de France was the 81st edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began on 2 July with ...

(born 1965) a Dutch former professional racing cyclist, rode in the

1994 Tour de France The 1994 Tour de France was the 81st edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The Tour began on 2 July with a prologue around the French city Lille. After 21 more days of racing, the Tour came to a close on the street of the ...

Hans Kroes Hans Kroes (born 3 June 1965 in Lisse, South Holland) is a former freestyle and backstroke swimmer from The Netherlands, who competed for his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1984. His best individual result in Los ...

(born 1965), a Dutch freestyle and backstroke swimmer, competed in the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

and

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

* Gert-Jan Segers (born 1969), a Dutch political scientist and politician * Bastiaan Ragas (born 1971), a Dutch actor and singer IMDb Database
retrieved 28 January 2020

References

External links

*
Official website

Keukenhof
{{Authority control Municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland