Alkmaar is a city in the province of Noord-Holland in the
Netherlands, and the capital of the municipality of Alkmaar. Alkmaar
has a historic center with 399 national monuments and 700 municipal
monuments. The city is known as "the cheese city". A traditional
cheese market is held weekly from the beginning of April to the end
of September. A resident of Alkmaar is called a Alkmaarder, but is
called a cheese head in the vernacular. The city has two railway
stations: Alkmaar station and Alkmaar Noord station.
Alkmaar
is located in the Kennemerland cooperation region, and partly in
West Friesland. It also works together with surrounding
municipalities in the Regional Administrative Force of Alkmaar. The
urbanized area around Alkmaar occupies an important place in the
region. It has more or less become attached to places such as
Heerhugowaard, Noord-Scharwoude, Zuid-Scharwoude, Broek op
Langedijk, Sint Pancras, Oudkarspel, Obdam, Hensbroek, Bergen,
Heiloo, Limmen, Castricum, Akersloot and Uitgeest. The complete
agglomeration, also known as Groot-Alkmaar, extends globally from
Uitgeest to the villages Warmenhuizen and Tuitjenhorn in the south
of the municipality of Schagen and from Bergen to Obdam and has
approximately 305,000 inhabitants.
The name Alkmaar has been used in various forms since the Middle Ages: Allecmere (tenth century), Alcmere (1063), Alcmare (eleventh and twelfth century), or Alkmare (1132). Possibly the last part means but (formerly mere) "lake", "pond" or "swamp", while the first term auk seems to come from the Diet's meaning "swamp" or "temple".
Middle Ages
Alkmaar
originated on a beach wall, along which a long country road ran to
the south of Holland. It was originally an agricultural settlement,
centered around the St. Lawrence Church, founded in the 10th
century, in the western part of the later city center. The fields
lay on the shoreline. Slightly to the east of this were the lower
peat and clay soils of the Mient. The Scheteldoekshaven near Alkmaar
offered a possibility for trade via the Laat and the more easterly
Voormeer to the Rzeker in the north and the Schermermeer in the
south and east. The place was also connected to the Almere (later
the Zuiderzee) via the Voormeer. The agricultural buildings are
partly reflected in the fact that in this part of the city there are
still many low-rise workers' houses of a layer with a roof, such as
along the Geest and Doelenstraat.
When Count Dirk VII of
Holland was at war in Zeeland, his brother William of Friesland
invaded West Friesland in November 1195. Countess Aleid van Kleef
then went to war against her brother-in-law and defeated him at
Alkmaar. On June 11, 1254, Alkmaar was granted city rights by Willem
II of Holland. At that time, the city mainly served as a border
fortress and base in the fight against the West Frisians. To this
end, the Count of Holland had Torenburg built northwest of the city
at the end of Koningsweg.
With the defeat of the West
Frisians, the road was opened for the construction of dikes and
roads to the north of the city and a quieter period for trade began.
In the course of the 13th century, Alkmaar was able to develop into
an international trading city because of this and its location near
the Voormeer. In the 14th century, various annual fairs took place,
which also attracted international merchants. After the great city
fire of 1328, the city was further expanded outside the eastern dike
by means of construction. Here new buildings arose in the Mient,
Luttik Oudorp and Voordam, where the ships moored with their
merchandise. Trade then concentrated around the Mient and Fnidsen
("Venice"). The market was also moved from the church to Fnidsen and
the quay of Luttik Oudorp. Trade, fishing and shipping shifted the
city's economic center of gravity to the east in the 15th century.
From the 14th century on, many monasteries were established in the
increasingly less attractive and therefore less expensive old
western part of the city, the former existence of which can still be
found today in names such as Begijnenstraat, Clarissenbuurt,
Paternosterstraat and Sint Katherijnenstraat. In the 15th and 16th
centuries, the city was further expanded with placements, giving it
a somewhat more uniform shape. As a result of the Revolt of the
Cheese and Bread People in 1492, the city was forced to temporarily
demolish the city gates and the ramparts. Later a new wall was
constructed with 12 towers and 4 gates, which can be seen on the map
of Jacob van Deventer from around 1560. There were no fortifications
on the east side along the Voormeer. In the 16th century, more and
more areas around the city were dike and drained. As a result, the
city on the one hand lost its connection to the sea and the
associated trade. On the other hand, the reclaimed land gave it a
much larger hinterland and thus a larger catchment area. By
specializing in cheese and beer, the city managed to partly maintain
its position as a trading city.
Early modern age
In the
summer of 1517, the city and its surroundings suffered from looting
by the Arumer Black Hope. During the Eighty Years' War, the Alkmaar
Franciscan priests and brothers were arrested in June 1572 by the
Calvinist Geuzen under Diederik Sonoy and murdered in Enkhuizen on
June 25, 1572 because of their loyalty to the Catholic faith, after
horrific torture. The murdered clergy are now known as the martyrs
of Alkmaar. In 1573 Alkmaar was besieged by the Spaniards, who had
camped in Oudorp. However, the Alkmaarders kept them at bay with
boiling tar and burning bundles of branches. This event, which led
to the well-known expression Victory begins at Alkmaar, is still
celebrated every year on 8 October during Alkmaars Ontzet. In 1876,
the Victoria Monument was erected in Victory Park to commemorate
this event.
In 1607 the first explanation of the Alkmaarderhout took place.
In the early days this consisted mainly of “wooden” rows of trees
along a number of avenues. The secularization of the monastic
buildings provided many opportunities for the city to create space
for the growing trade. In 1583, the Waagplein could be constructed
through the demolition of many former Catholic monastery buildings.
Other buildings provided space for the millers and for markets such
as the Paardenmarkt. At the same time, nuisance-causing and
space-demanding businesses were moved outside the city. Due to the
growth of the population, the city was again expanded at the end of
the 16th century with the new trading district Nieuwstad, for which
part of the Voormeer was dammed. The remaining part of the Voormeer
was converted into a harbor. A new wall with 9 strongholds and 7
gates was built around the city, designed by Adriaen Anthonisz. With
the shift to a city with a more regional function and the growth in
land traffic, the city's economic center of gravity shifted towards
the west side of the Mient at the end of the 16th century. Many
mansions were built in that period along the road from the
Lauruskerk to the Mient and around the new Waagplein.
In the
French era, Noord-Holland was transformed into the 'Department of
Texel', of which Alkmaar became the capital.
The Alkmaarsche
Courant was founded in Alkmaar in 1799 by Adrianus Sterck. The
newspaper is now part of the Noordhollands Dagblad and also the
largest edition of that newspaper.
Modern time
The
Noordhollandsch Kanaal, which was opened in 1824, ran right around
Alkmaar during construction. Due to the growth of Alkmaar, it now
runs right through it. In 1865 and 1867, the infrastructure was
further expanded by the opening of the railway lines from Alkmaar to
Den Helder and Uitgeest - Haarlem respectively.
In the 20th
century new residential areas arose around Alkmaar, and in 1972
Oudorp, Koedijk-Zuid and the section south of the Alkmaar -
Heerhugowaard railway line from Sint Pancras-Zuid were added to the
territory of Alkmaar. The city also began to play an increasingly
important role in accommodating the population surplus in the
Randstad and the population looking for a home through the
renovation of old city districts, especially Amsterdam. Alkmaar
acquired the core growth status and was therefore considered one of
the first "overflow cities" at the time. One consequence of this is
the development of the Huiswaard district.
Alkmaar has thirteen churches, six of which are Roman Catholic.
The construction of the
Grote or Sint-Laurenskerk on the Koorstraat was started in 1470 and
completed in 1520. The church is still the largest medieval church
building in Alkmaar's city center. It was probably designed by the
architect Antoon I Keldermans. At the end of the Langestraat, near
the Sint Laurenskerk, the pavement indicates the highest natural
point of the old sand ridge on which the church is built in the
shape of a small crescent moon of gray cobblestones.
The tomb
of Count Floris V of Holland is located in the Sint-Laurenskerk. It
contains only the viscera, which was removed during the embalming
process. Floris's body was later reburied in Rijnsburg.
The Roman Catholic Saint Lawrence Church was
built in the neo-Gothic style in 1859-1861. It is one of the
earliest works in North Holland by the famous architect Pierre
Cuypers. The Sint-Laurentiuskerk is a church on the ground plan of a
Latin cross. Special features include the flying buttresses on the
outside of the building and the use of Limburg marl stone, including
the richly decorated rose window above the entrance door in the west
facade.
The interior has neo-Gothic details, for example in
the wooden barrel vault with colorful rosettes and in the marlstone
reliefs along the walls. In the transepts are colorful wall
paintings depicting the Blood Miracle of Alkmaar from 1429, made by
J.A. Kläsener between 1874 and 1880. Earlier he painted the series
of Stations of the Cross (1866-1868).
The neo-gothic
inventory has been preserved, including the original pews designed
by Cuypers, a large triumphal cross at the beginning of the choir, a
Sacred Heart statue, a Mary altar (left of the choir) and a Holy
Blood altar (right of the choir ). The stained glass windows are
also remarkable. The oldest hang in the choir. They were made by
Nicolas' studio in Roermond (1862 and 1895), the others were made by
the studio of J. Dobbelaere from Bruges (1895-1907).
Built in 1961 to a design by architect Van Kranendonk, the Don Bosco church was a square-based church building with a surrounding concrete colonnade under a high wooden tent roof. The square plan allowed the main altar to be placed without contact with the walls and to focus entirely on the liturgy, amid the enclosing circles of the pews. The pyramid shape of the slightly cantilevered roof was deliberately derived from the West Frisian farmhouse. Through the opening at the top of the roof, the light fell into the room from above; a clock was also placed in it. The stained glass windows between the pillars of the colonnade were made by Joep Nicolas. The church was demolished by the municipality in August 2007, despite growing resistance from citizens. The possibilities for re-use have not been investigated. Parts of the stained-glass windows have been relocated in the Alkmaar Saint Joseph Church. The organ from 1961, by Jos Vermeulen, has been transferred to the Protestant Minor Church in Roermond.
The Mennonite Church, built in 1617 on the
initiative of predecessor Hans de Ries, is one of the oldest stone
Mennonite churches in the Netherlands. It was initially a hidden
church.
Like the other hidden churches in Alkmaar, this
church also got a wooden barrel vault. In the 19th century, the
building and interior of the church were significantly changed. For
example, C.W. Porpoise, the later city archivist, in 1854 a new
facade in neoclassical style with round arched windows. The
forecourt with flowerbed dates from 1856. In 1876 the entire
interior was changed according to a design by city architect W.F. du
Croix. The benches with their neo-Gothic detailing date from that
time.
One of the oldest inventory items is the neoclassical
organ front from 1819 by organ builder J.C. Deytenbach. The organ
itself is a Flaes organ from 1866.
The Lutheran church was built in 1690. The simple exterior is a reminder that the Lutheran church started as a hidden church. However, the interior is much richer, as is customary with Lutheran churches. For example, the space is covered by a wooden barrel vault with an elevated midfield. There is also a pulpit with accompanying benches and a richly decorated tour portal from the construction period. Special features include the organ from 1754, with Rococo carvings and on top of the image of a swan, the symbol of Luther and the Lutherans. The organ was probably built by Pieter Müller, son of the well-known organ builder Christian Müller.
According to some, the
Chapel Church dates from around 1325, but more generally it is
assumed that construction started around 1520, so immediately after
the completion of the Grote Kerk. At the time of the construction of
the Chapel Church, the Laat was not yet filled in; that is why the
entrance is in the short facade on the Kapelsteeg.
A striking
feature of the Chapel Church are the very numerous natural stone
bands in the brick walls. In 1707 the church was expanded with a
high transept in Dutch classicist style on the north side. A bank
block was built here, in which the members of the city council could
sit. The sofa block was designed in the modern Louis XIV style. The
curling acanthus leaves on the top pieces of the doors are
characteristic of this style.
In 1760 the building was struck
by a fire, in which the medieval wooden barrel vault was lost. It
was replaced by a stucco vault with raised fields, decorated with
rococo-style decorations. The wooden pulpit and the organ case with
the accompanying wooden frame are also executed in rococo style.
Both interior pieces date from 1762. Asmus Frauen from Amsterdam and
Willem Straatman from Alkmaar were involved in the manufacture. The
organ is from organ builder Christian Müller. Notable interior
pieces also include the large copper candle crowns.
Worth
seeing are the colorful stained-glass windows, made in the years
1920-1940 by Willem Bogtman from Haarlem.
The Remonstrant Church is a hidden church, located in a courtyard. The building was erected in 1658 on the site of a wooden mill where the faithful used to gather in secret. The monumental entrance between the two bell gable houses dates from 1728. The ornate ironwork above the doors incorporates the letters RK from Remonstrant Church. Inside, the church building, which is covered with a wooden barrel vault, has galleries on three sides that rest on wooden columns. The church interior is very beautiful, with a 17th-century pulpit and around an 18th-century baptismal fence with richly decorated copper baptismal arches. There is a brass lectern on both the pulpit and the baptismal fence. Various beautiful copper crowns, candle arms and sconces (17th and 18th century) serve as lighting. The organ (1792) is by the Amsterdam organ builder Johannes Stephanus Strümphler. The pine floor is still sprinkled with fine sand as before.
The Saint Dominic Church was built in the years 1863-1866 by Pierre Cuypers, who also designed the Rijksmuseum and the station building of Amsterdam Central Station. It was a so-called cross basilica, the most characteristic part of which was the large tower that clearly intended to rival the Grote Kerk. The tower formed a striking part of Alkmaar's silhouette for more than a century. The church was of great art-historical significance as it was one of the few surviving structures from the early period of Cuypers' activity as an architect. Moreover, the interior was also fairly complete. The church board decided in 1972 to close the Saint Dominic Church. The number of churchgoers in the city center decreased. The maintenance of the then two inner-city churches (Sint-Dominicus aan de Laat and Sint-Laurentius aan het Verdronkenoord) became too expensive. The church council opted for the preservation of St. Lawrence, which was in the best architectural condition. Less attention was paid to art historical value. In 1974, Saint Dominic's Church was closed for worship. For years the fate of this church remained uncertain, but in 1985 the church was demolished; only a stair tower was spared.
The Saint Joseph Church was built entirely
in neo-Gothic style. The church was put into use on January 1, 1910.
The design is by the church builders and students of P.J.H. Cuypers,
Albert Margry, Jos Margry and Josephus Marie Snickers.
The
church has stained glass windows. The statue of Christ the King was
placed in 1948 to commemorate Alkmaarders who died in the war. Their
names are on a plaque on the wall of the church.
On May 10, 1604, the town of Alkmaar was the first city of the
Netherlands to allow Jews to settle here. On June 5, 1802, the
Jewish congregation bought this building to establish the Synagogue.
In 1842 a school was founded in the backyard for religious and civil
education. This was given by the rabbi, who lived next to the
synagogue at number 13.
Two stones in the façade indicate (in
the Hebrew era) the dates on which the building was renovated: in
1826 and 1844. According to the Waterstaat drawing, the renovation
in 1844 involved a new façade, a gallery for women and a barrel
vault containing the Star of David.
After the war, the badly
affected Jewish community of Alkmaar could no longer afford the
synagogue and the building fell to the Baptists. They left the
building again in 2008. The now growing Jewish community in Alkmaar
took the building back into use in mid-2011 after a thorough
restoration.
The Redeemer Church is built
in an expressionist style akin to that of the Amsterdam School, and
was built in 1933 to a design by B.W. Plooij. The building has a
cross-shape as a floor plan, with a so-called ridge turret at the
crossing of the roofs. The church closed its doors in 1991, after
which the building was converted into an apartment complex.
Lukaskerk (Christian Community)
The church building of the
Christian Community is built in an organic style. The church was
opened in 1994. Since 2009, the church on the Kanaaldijk also has a
name, namely the Lukaskerk.
The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints
The meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints is a church built in a typical American style.
The church was opened in 1997.
Windmills are part of
the culturally-historically valuable regional development with
special significance for the entire region. Especially the robust
barbers are almost exclusively found in North Holland above the
North Sea Canal. All mills are listed buildings. The emphasis of the
protected level of prosperity is on preserving the authentic
appearance of the mills and the reference to the history of Alkmaar.
Until 2015, the municipality of Alkmaar had 13 mills (including the
meadow mill, 14). Two of these are located in Koedijk, six in the
village of Oudorp and five in the city of Alkmaar itself. Since
2015, the municipality of Alkmaar also includes the territory of the
former municipalities of Schermer and Graft-De Rijp. Since then, the
municipality of Alkmaar has a total of 32 different mills (+ the
meadow mill = 33).
Craft grinder
The Alkmaar Craft Mill
emptied the Raaksmaatsboezem. This type of mill is called a ironing
mill because the water is as it were 'road area' due to the slight
difference in height. Other names under which the Ambachtsmolen is
known are "Achter Oudorp" and "'t Wuiver". The Craft Mill is
actually located in the village of Oudorp.
The Eendracht
The polder mill De Eendracht on the Kruseman van Eltenweg is a round
stone ground sailor from 1771. This mill used to drain the
Eendrachtspolder on the Schermerboezem. As a result of urban
expansions, the mill has been built in almost all around. The mill
was restored not so long ago. A wooden paddle wheel has been placed;
this paddle wheel is characteristic of the mill.
The
Geestmolen
The Geestmolen, Hoeverpad 13, is a polder mill, with
an oak octagon on a low foot, a ground sailor from 1565. The
Geestmolen used to drain the 170 hectare Geestmolenpolder. Because
the new residential area De Hoef was built in the early 1960s, the
mill no longer has a landscape function. The Geestmolen is of the
octagonal inner barrow type. This means that the blades can be
placed on the wind inside (the mechanism is entirely in the hood).
The Golden Angel
On Kanaaldijk 235-236, the tower mill has
been located since 2009: "De Gouden Engel", built on the initiative
of the Johannes Bos Foundation. The flour mill, which works on wind
power, can be seen regularly in operation. In addition to the mill,
there are also the coal barn from 1891 for the storage of headed
cabbage and the old mill from 1866, a servant's house from 1871, now
an office, and a newly built mill shed. The top floor of the mill
shed has been set up as a museum by the Koedijk Historical
Association. De Gouden Engel is located in the village of Koedijk.
The polder mill De Sluismolen at Helderseweg 87
from 1575/2002 is a ground sailor with an oak octagon on a low foot.
This mill drained the Grote Sluispolder. In 2001 this mill burned
down completely, but has now been restored to its original state.
The Sluismolen is located in the village of Koedijk, but has an
Alkmaar zip code.
The Viaan
The Viaan, located at 18
Havinghastraat, is a polder mill. The De Viaan windmill is an
octagonal inner barrow on a low base from 1579. Together with an
electric pumping station, it now drains another 464 hectare part of
De Bergermeerpolder on the Schermerboezem. The mill has a radius of
24 meters. The mill was originally equipped with a paddle wheel and
was iced up in 1876. Next to the mill is the miller's house. Due to
urban expansion to the south and east, the low-rise buildings and
the roads are very close to the mill.
Molenkade 6/9, ironing mills, ground sailers built
between 1627 and 1630. A total of six ironing mills have stood along
the Molenkade. They are known as "The mills at the six wheels". That
name does not refer to the six mills, but to the six large wheels
with which the shakes were operated at the time. In 1688 the
easternmost was lost in fire and has not been rebuilt. The
westernmost one was dismantled to be rebuilt in the Netherlands Open
Air Museum in Arnhem. An English bomb put an end to the mill stored
there. The ironing mills along the Molenkade are not only important
from a cultural-historical point of view, but together they form an
accompaniment for the Zeswiel and Hoornseweg. The 'Molen van Piet'
and the Viaanse windmill also form structure-determining buildings
due to their location (at junctions / entrances).
Molen De
Groot / Molen van Piet
Piet's Mill is officially called 'mill De
Groot'. The name 'Molen van Piet' is often used because the Piet
family has lived and managed the mill for many years. The circular
stone tower mill was built in the 18th century and was intended for
grinding grain. However, in front of this mill there was a so-called
post mill, built in 1605. Piet's Mill is the only mill in the city
center that has been preserved. Guided tours are given and there is
a souvenir shop.
Munniken-, Raven and Robonsbosmolen
Munnikenboschpolder 5, polder mill, pine octagon on a low foot,
ground sailor from 1781/1976. The Robonsbosmolen was a signal mill
of the Schermerboezem until 1981. To this end, the windmill hood was
permanently fitted with a lamp in its dismantled state (1931-1976).
Since 1976 the mill has been completed externally again and it has
been set up for permanent residence.
At the Frieseweg 102 stands the corn mill (octagonal tower mill) 't Roode Hert from 1748. The current building is the former rice peeler de Witte Klok, which was built in 1925 on the spot where a mill had burned down twice. The White Clock has stood on the south side of the Zaanse Schans in Zaandam since 1748. Grain is still processed into flour, and flour, flour and other organic products are sold (and served). There are plans to move the mill about 300 meters to the Oudorperpolder nature reserve. This is necessary to be assured of windage now that there are plans to build on the nearby former industrial area Overstad with houses and shops. 't Roode Hert is located in the village of Oudorp.
Meadow mill de Koekoek was built in 1933. The mill was used to drain the southern part of the polder (total of approximately 12 hectares) in the Zuiderkoog and to keep it dry (Houthandel Eecen was in the same polder). The northern part of the polder discharged via a wooden culvert under the Snipsloot into a larger polder called the Noorderkoog. This polder discharged with a large windmill and later with a diesel pumping station on the Schagersloot. There was no real miller, but one person was responsible who worked at Eecen. When the timber trade started to build storage sheds, the Koekoek was moved to a location all the way on the dike on the east side of the polder, but had no function for some time, because the entire polder was drained with its own electric pump. In 1985 the mill was removed from Oudkarspel and placed in the warehouse of Molenmakerij Poland. In 2000 it was placed on the grounds of Golfbaan Sluispolder in Alkmaar-West (about 50 meters from the N9). The mill was shut down around 2011 due to decay. The mill was restored in 2013 and is regularly turned by a permanent miller.