Aalsmeer

Aalsmeer
—  Municipality  —
Water Tower of Aalsmeer
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): The Flower Capital of the World
Location of Aalsmeer
Coordinates: 52°15′50″N 4°45′45″E / 52.26389°N 4.7625°E / 52.26389; 4.7625
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Holland
Government
- Mayor	Pieter Litjens (VVD)
- Aldermen	Jaap Overbeek (CDA) Ronald Fransen (PACT) Berry Nijmeijer (VVD)
Area (2006)
- Total	32.24 km2 (12.4 sq mi)
- Land	20.58 km2 (7.9 sq mi)
- Water	11.66 km2 (4.5 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2008)Source: CBS, Statline.
- Total	28.026
- Density	1,362/km2 (3,527.6/sq mi)
- Demonym	Aalsmeerder
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcodes	1431 (Aalsmeer) 1433 (Kudelstaart)
Website	www.aalsmeer.nl

Aalsmeer ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Its name is derived from the Dutch for eel (aal) and lake (meer).^[1] Aalsmeer is bordered by the Westeinderplassen lake - the largest open water of the Randstad - and the Ringvaart Canal.^[1] The town is located 13 kilometers (8 miles) southwest of Amsterdam.

Because the largest flower auction in the world is based in Aalsmeer, along with numerous nurseries and an experimental station for floriculture, the town is sometimes referred to as the flower capital of the world.

Population centres

The municipality of Aalsmeer consists of the following cities, towns, and villages: Aalsmeer, Kudelstaart, Oosteinde.

History

Aalsmeer in 1866.

Aalsmeer Town Hall

View of the Westeinderplassen from the Aalmseer Water Tower

Flower Auction Aalsmeer

Aalsmeer is first referenced in a document from 1133 in which it is called "Alsmar" and is granted to the Abbey of Rijnsburg. Diederik VII van Kleef confirmed this grant in an act in 1199. The area was then a wilderness with alders and willow forests.

In its surroundings, large tracks of land were dug up for peat, creating large lakes and ponds such as Oosteinderpoel (East End Pool), Schinkelpoel (Schinkel Pool), Stommeer (Stom Lake), Hornmeer (Horn Lake), Legmeer (Leg Lake), and the Westeinderplassen (West End Ponds). This left little land for agriculture, causing Aalsmeer's inhabitants to switch to fishery. The land was cultivated intensely, mostly for tree nurseries.

The lack of dry land was countered by reclaiming some of the lakes, starting with Stom Lake in 1650, and followed by Horn Lake in 1674. In 1852, the large Haarlem Lake, bordering on Aalsmeer, was made into a polder. Then followed Schinkelpoel, Oosteinderpoel, and Legmeer. Peat was no longer dug up and the fishing business declined. Yet horticulture increased, especially strawberry cultivation, which peaked between 1850 and 1885. The strawberry became the symbol for the flag of Aalsmeer: red (fruit), green (leaf), and black (soil). The cultivation of flowers began circa 1880, first with roses in greenhouses.

The growers would sell their strawberries and flowers to distributors who would bring it with barges to the market in Amsterdam. But the trade shifted to Aalsmeer where auctions began to be held in local cafés. In 1912 two auction businesses were established: Centrale Aalsmeerse Veiling (Central Aalsmeer Auction) in the town's centre and Bloemenlust in Aalsmeer East.

World War II

During the Second World War, Aalsmeer gained a reputation for its Nazi support, mostly because of its fanatical National Socialistic mayor and a handful of fascist supporters. The supreme commander of the German Wehrmacht in the Netherlands, Friedrich Christiansen, was a regular visitor. Following the war, more than a hundred court cases were held against Nazi supporters from Aalsmeer.

Post war

In 1950 Aalsmeer had 12500 inhabitants. In 1968 the two auction businesses merged and formed the Verenigde Bloemenveilingen Aalsmeer (United Flower Auctions Aalsmeer). In 1972 a new large auction building was completed in South Aalsmeer and expanded in 1999.

Local government

The municipal council of Aalsmeer consists of 19 seats, which are divided as follows:

• Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) - 6 seats
• de Progressieve Aalsmeerse Combinatie Tweeduizend Aalsmeer (PACT) - 5 seats
• Aalsmeerse Belangen (AB) - 4 seats
• People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) - 4 seats

The current mayor is Pieter Litjens (VVD), who succeeded J. Hoffscholte (VVD) in May 2007.

Public Transportation

The bus interchange in Aalsmeer is called the Hortensiaplein, where the buses meet. These services are:

• 140 - Uithoorn - Aalsmeer - Hoofddorp Station - Hoofddorp - Heemstede - Haarlem - Haarlem Station
• 171 - Aalsmeer - Bovenkerk - Amstelveen - Amsterdam Zuid Station
• 172 - Kudelstaart - Aalsmeer - Amstelveen - Amsterdam City Centre - Amsterdam Centraal
• 178 - Aalsmeer - Aalsmeerderbrug - Rijsenhout - Hoofddorp Station - Hoofddorp
• 188 - Uithoorn - Aalsmeer - Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (Schiphol Sternet)
• 198 - Aalsmeer - Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (Schiphol Sternet)
• N72 - Amsterdam Schiphol Airport - Aalsmeer - Uithoorn - Amstelveen - Amsterdam City Centre - Amsterdam Centraal (Nightbus)

All of these services are very frequent, half hourly or more frequent. To plan your journey either use ^[2] or ^[3]

Economy

Having 999,000 square meters (10,750,000 sq ft) of floor space, the flower auction building is the largest commercial building in the world. Its close proximity to Schiphol Airport allows the growers access to markets worldwide. Since January 1, 2008 the flower auction has merged with FloraHolland.

The Endemol television studios are located in the former Central Auction building. The Bloemenlust building is nowadays a sports, event, and congress centre. Dominating the Ringvaart canal are the large building halls of Royal De Vries Scheepsbouw.

Culture

Events

Aalsmeer has always had a number of yearly recurring events and festivals. The most famous event has always been the Flower parade (Bloemencorso), every first Saturday in September. After 60 years, this tradition has been discontinued in 2007. Other annual events are the "Pramenrace", every second Saturday in September and the Bands Night (Bandjesavond) in June.

Music scene

Aalsmeer has always had a rich music scene. The best known groups and artists from Aalsmeer and Kudelstaart since 1970 are:

• Hobo String band
• The Whatts
• Livin' at A
• Madeliefjes
• Los Boundros
• Café Blue (later: Koel Bewaren)
• Ten Beers After
• Katelijne van Otterloo Group
• Social Animal

People from Aalsmeer

Native from Aalsmeer

• Jacques van Tol (1897-1969), Author
• Johannes Fake Berghoef (1903-1994), Architect
• Jan Willem de Pous (1920-1996), Minister
• Peter R. de Vries (1956), Crime Reporter
• Theodore van Houten (1952), Author and Journalist
• Tijn Docter (1972), Actor

Living in Aalsmeer

• Gerard Joling (1960), Singer
• Bob de Jong (1976), Speed skater (Kudelstaart)
• Frans Mulder (1953), Actor
• Marianne van Wijnkoop Actrice, Casting Director, Jury member X Factor (Kudelstaart)
• Bonnie St. Claire (1949), Singer

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Aalsmeer". (2006). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 13, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online
2. ^ http://www.connexxion.nl
3. ^ http://www.9292ov.nl

• Statistics are taken from the SDU Staatscourant

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aalsmeer

• A map of the municipality Aalsmeer
• Companies in Aalsmeer (in Dutch)
• Bloemencorso Aalsmeer (in Dutch)
• Muziekaalsmeer (in Dutch)

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