Haarlem’s Hidden Charms Where Art, History, and Tulips Come Together
In the surrounding countryside, dotted with mills, endless fields of tulips have always been cultivated; in the shops, craft beer is bottled, and in the streets, in the lively swarm of passers-by, painters position their canvases and immortalise the beauty of Haarlem. Populated by approximately 150 thousand inhabitants, located about twenty kilometers from Amsterdam, the city of North Holland contains within itself the cultural ferment of a metropolis, but also the genuine and poetic atmospheres of a small town, tied to ancient traditions. Caressed by the course of the Spaarne, Haarlem is framed by the natural dunes that separate it from the North Sea, nestled in a romantic landscape.
Founded in ancient times, it became an important centre between the 11th and 13th centuries, when the Counts of Holland chose it as their residence: Haarlem became the seat of the municipality and began to grow, until the destructive war with Spain in 1527, when, after seven months of fierce siege, the city lost a good part of its population. But the sad episode did not discourage the local community, which was able to recover both demographically and economically, making itself known throughout the world for the production of linen (imported by weavers from Flanders) and the cultivation of tulips. It was the so-called ‘Dutch Golden Age‘: Haarlem was a city where everything seemed possible, elegant and welcoming, which painters such as Frans Hals, Adriaen Van Ostade and Jacob Van Ruisdael loved to reproduce on canvas with passionate brush strokes.
The Heart of Haarlem: Grote Markt and Iconic Landmarks
Even today, Haarlem is a good source of inspiration, if not for a painting, then at least for a nice holiday. The authentic soul of the city lies in the central Grote Markt, where the most interesting buildings overlook, where markets and events take place, or where locals simply meet to chat and have a drink together. Dominating the square is the bronze sculpture of Laurens Janszoo Coster, who, according to the Dutch, invented the printing press 16 years before Gutenberg: there is not much evidence to support this theory, but in Haarlem everyone is proud of such an illustrious ancestor.
In the square stands the colossal St. Bavo Cathedral, today a Protestant church, custodian of some treasures belonging to different eras: the bell tower next to it, 80 m high, dates back to 1520, while the choir is from the fourteenth century and the organ by Christian Muller is from the early eighteenth century. The keyboard of this instrument, among the most beautiful of its kind in the world, was touched by the magical touch of Handel, Mozart, and Schubert.
In front of the church, you can admire the Town Hall (Stadhuis), founded in 1250 as the residence of the King of Germany, William II, and enriched, over the years, with further details, such as the Hall of Counts, commissioned by William V, and the adjacent tower. The latter is a twentieth-century copy of the original tower, erected in the mid-fifteenth century, demolished in the eighteenth century because it was unsafe. In the sixteenth century, after the wars of religion, the entire complex was heavily modified by the architect Lieven de Key. The same architect designed, in 1602, the old meat market located on the western side of the square, and the fish market. The Vleeshal – as the meat market is called in Dutch – today hosts periodic exhibitions of modern art and a small archaeological museum, but the large painting of a bull’s head recalls its former function; the Vishal, instead, houses an art section of the Frans Hals Museum.
Haarlem’s Museums and Artistic Legacy
Speaking of museums, Haarlem is home to the oldest in the Netherlands: the Teylers Museum, founded in the second half of the eighteenth century by Pieter Teyler Van der Hulst. The patron, a lover of the arts and sciences and a passionate collector, gathered paintings and sketches by artists of various nationalities: the collection includes works by the Italian masters Raphael and Michelangelo, as well as renowned Dutch and French painters.
Festivals and Events in Haarlem
Haarlem’s cultural liveliness is not only demonstrated by its museums and monuments, but also by the many events that take place throughout the year, month after month, and guarantee entertainment for all tastes. In April, two important events take place: a large parade of floats covered in flowers, which run from Noordwijk to Haarlem, where they remain on display for a day, and the setting up of a beautiful amusement park on the Grote Markt. Incidentally, Haarlem was the setting for an Italian film, which participated in the 1970 Cannes Film Festival: I tulipani di Haarlem was directed by Franco Brusati, and this production does nothing but underline the love and importance of this city for the typical Dutch flowers.
Don’t miss the music festival Bevrijdingspop, which on May 5th commemorates the liberation of the Netherlands from the Nazis after the Second World War, as well as the jazz festival Haarlem Jazzstad, the culinary event Haarlem Culinair, and the comic book days Haarlemse Stripdagen.
Getting to Haarlem: Travel and Climate
To reach the Dutch city you can use two different train stations, regularly connected to Amsterdam (which is 15-20 minutes away), Leiden, and Zandvoort aan Zee. The closest airport, from which you can reach Haarlem by bus, is Schiphol, south-east of Amsterdam.
The climate of the area is generally cold, with low temperatures even in summer. The average values in January range from a minimum of 0°C to a maximum of 5°C, while in August they vary between 15°C and 22°C. Precipitation, scarce in summer, is concentrated in the autumn and winter periods: between November and December it rains on average for 20 days a month.
