Baarn Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Baarn

Groeneveld Castle in Baarn

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in Utrecht

Country

Netherlands

Province

Utrecht

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

33.01 km² (12.75 sq mi)

• Land

32.53 km² (12.56 sq mi)

• Water

0.48 km² (0.19 sq mi)

Elevation

6 m (20 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

24,373

• Density

749/km² (1,940/sq mi)

Demonyms

Baarnaar, Barenaar

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

3740–3749

Area code

035

Topographic map of Baarn, June 2015

Baarn is a charming municipality and town in the Netherlands. It is located near Hilversum in the province of Utrecht. A municipality is like a local government area, similar to a county or district.

Discover Baarn: A Dutch Municipality
Baarn Town: History and Royal Connections
Getting Around Baarn
Famous Faces from Baarn
Images for kids
See also

Discover Baarn: A Dutch Municipality

The municipality of Baarn includes a few different towns. These are Baarn itself, Eembrugge, and Lage Vuursche.

Baarn Town: History and Royal Connections

Baarn is the main town within the municipality. It was given special "city rights" way back in 1391. This meant it had certain privileges, like holding markets. The town is about 8 kilometers east of Hilversum.

In 2001, Baarn had a population of 22,871 people. The town's urban area covered about 4.66 square kilometers. It was home to over 10,000 houses.

The Dutch royal family has many connections to Baarn. Soestdijk Palace in Baarn was once the home of Queen Emma. Later, Queen Juliana and her husband, Prince Bernhard, lived there.

Even Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his brothers went to school in Baarn. This was when Queen Beatrix (who was a princess then) and her family lived nearby. They lived at Castle Drakesteijn in the village of Lage Vuursche. They moved to The Hague in 1980. A beautiful forest called the Baarnse Bos is next to the palace. It used to be part of the palace grounds.

Baarn has great places for shopping, mostly on Laanstraat. You can also visit 'het Cantonspark', which is a lovely botanical garden. Another popular spot is Groeneveld Castle. To the north and east of Baarn, you'll find flat, low-lying lands called polders. The Eem river also flows nearby. For outdoor fun, there are woodlands southwest of Baarn. These woods are called 'Het Baarnsche Bos'.

The Scout Centre Buitenzorg is also located in Baarn. It's a big center for Scouting Nederland.

Baarn is also home to some international companies. These include SEI Investments Company and Bain & Co. Unilever's Conimex and software company Seyoda Games are also in Baarn.

Getting Around Baarn

Baarn has its own Baarn railway station. Trains run every half-hour from here. You can get to Utrecht (Utrecht Centraal) in about 35 minutes. Trains also go to Amersfoort (Amersfoort Centraal) in 10 minutes. You can even reach Amsterdam (Amsterdam Centraal) in about 40 minutes.

The A1 motorway runs just north of Baarn. This makes it easy to travel by car.

Famous Faces from Baarn

Many interesting people have lived in Baarn.

Royalty

Prince Ernest Casimir of the Netherlands (1822 in Baarn – 1822): He was the fourth son of the Prince of Orange, who later became King William II of the Netherlands.
Beatrix of the Netherlands (born 1938 in Baarn): She was the Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 to 2013.
Princess Irene of the Netherlands (born 1939 in Baarn): She is the second child of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands.
Princess Christina of the Netherlands (born 1947 in Baarn – 2019): She was the youngest of Queen Juliana's four daughters.

Intellectual and Public Service

Michiel Horn FRSC (born 1939 in Baarn): A Canadian professor and historian.
Bauke Roolvink (1912 – 1979 in Baarn): A Dutch politician and a leader in trade unions.
Edith Schippers (born 1964): A former politician who served as Minister of Healthcare. She lives in Baarn.

Arts

Betty Callish, 1906

Betty Callish (1886 – after 1941): An actress, singer, and violinist.
M. C. Escher (1898–1972): A famous graphic artist. He lived and worked in Baarn from 1941 to 1970.
Piet Esser (1914–2004): A talented sculptor.
Lia Dorana (1918 – 2010 in Lage Vuursche): A comedian and actress.
Albert Muis (born 1941): An artist.
Tineke de Nooij (born 1941): A popular radio and TV presenter.
Joop van den Ende (born 1942): A Dutch theatrical producer and media tycoon. He lives in Baarn.
Yorick van Wageningen (born 1964): An actor.
Martin Majoor (born 1960): A type designer and graphic designer.
Marlayne (born 1971): A singer.

Sport

Fanny Blankers-Koen, 1988

Fanny Blankers-Koen (1918 in Lage Vuursche – 2004): A Dutch track and field athlete. She won four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Jan van Gooswilligen (born 1935 in Baarn - 2008): A former Dutch field hockey player. He played in two Olympic Games in 1960 and 1964.
André Hoekstra (born 1962 in Baarn): A retired Dutch footballer who played over 300 club games.
Maryse Abendanon (born 1966): A former Dutch field hockey player who lives in Baarn.
Diederik van Weel (born 1973 in Baarn): A field hockey player. He won a team gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Dustley Mulder (born 1985 in Baarn): A Curaçaoan footballer with over 300 club appearances.
Ilse van der Meijden (born 1988 in Baarn): A water polo player. She won a team gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Sharon van Rouwendaal (born 1993 in Baarn): A Dutch distance swimmer. She won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.