Diemen Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Diemen

A view of Diemen

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in North Holland and the Netherlands

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

14.04 km² (5.42 sq mi)

• Land

11.99 km² (4.63 sq mi)

• Water

2.05 km² (0.79 sq mi)

Elevation

−1 m (−3.3 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

26,148

• Density

2,181/km² (5,650/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Diemenaar

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

1110–1113

Area code

020

Diemen is a town and a municipality (a type of local government area) in the Netherlands. It is located in the province of North Holland. Diemen is quite close to Amsterdam, about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) southeast of Amsterdam's city center. It is part of the larger Amsterdam metropolitan area.

What's in a Name?
Exploring Diemen's Geography
Who Lives in Diemen?
Getting Around Diemen
Learning in Diemen
Famous People from Diemen
- Sports Stars
Gallery
See also

What's in a Name?

The name Diemen comes from a river called the Diem. The word Diem itself comes from an old phrase, die eme, which means the water. So, Diemen is named after the water that flows through it!

Exploring Diemen's Geography

A map of Diemen municipality from 2015

Diemen is in the western part of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It's right next to Amsterdam and other towns like Muiden.

Several waterways flow through Diemen. These include the Weespertrekvaart, the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal, and the Diem river. The Diem river is actually where the town gets its name!

Diemen is divided into three main parts, or neighborhoods: Diemen Noord (North Diemen), Diemen Centrum (Diemen Centre), and Diemen Zuid (South Diemen).

Diemen Noord

Diemen Noord is on the south side of the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal. This canal separates it from the Amsterdam neighborhood of IJburg. It's also on the west side of the Diem river. This area has many houses, some of which look like old medieval homes. There's also a small shopping center and a green area called Diemerpolder.

Diemen Centrum

Diemen Centrum stretches from the Watergraafsmeer area in the west. It's separated from Watergraafsmeer by the A10 motorway, which is a big highway. This central part of Diemen has houses and apartment buildings. It also has the largest shopping center and the town hall, which is where the local government works. The Diemen train station is located between Diemen Noord and Diemen Centrum.

Diemen Zuid

Diemen Zuid is located near other areas like Duivendrecht and Bijlmer. This neighborhood also has houses and apartment buildings, along with a smaller shopping center. You can also find a campus of Inholland University of Applied Sciences here. The Diemen Zuid train station is on the southwest side, offering both train and metro services. The eastern part of Diemen Zuid has an industrial area and a green space called Diemerbos.

Who Lives in Diemen?

Diemen has a population of about 25,915 people. This means there are about 2,161 people living in each square kilometer. About half of the people living in Diemen have a Dutch background, and the other half have different backgrounds.

Getting Around Diemen

The Diemen railway station

Diemen is well-connected by roads and public transport. The major highways A1 and A9 pass through the municipality. The A10 (Amsterdam ring) is also very close by.

Diemen has two train stations:

Diemen station is on the line that goes between Amsterdam and Zutphen.
Diemen Zuid station is on the line that goes between Weesp and Leiden.

All train services are run by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), which is the Dutch national railway company. Diemen Zuid station also connects to Amsterdam's metro system.

You can also get around Diemen and to nearby towns using trams (like line 19), buses, and night buses. Bus line 44 goes from Diemen North to the Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena train and metro station. Metro line 53 has two stops in Diemen Zuid: Diemen Zuid and Verrijn Stuartweg.

Learning in Diemen

The Inholland University of Applied Sciences has a campus in Diemen

Diemen has several primary schools for younger students. These include public schools like De Octopus, De Venser, and De Noorderbreedte. There are also ecumenical schools (which combine different Christian traditions) like De Ark and De Kersenboom. De Nieuwe Kring is a special type of school called a Jenaplan school, and Sint-Petrusschool is a Roman Catholic school.

Diemen does not have any secondary schools (high schools) within its borders. Students usually go to secondary schools in nearby Amsterdam or Weesp.

For higher education, Diemen has two universities of applied sciences: HBO Nederland and Inholland. Both have campuses in Diemen Zuid. If students want to go to a full university, they usually go to one in Amsterdam.

Famous People from Diemen

Pieter Nieuwland, 1803

Many interesting people have connections to Diemen:

Pieter Nieuwland (1764–1794) was a very smart person who studied ships, chemistry, math, and even wrote poetry.
Rudi Falkenhagen (1933–2005) was a Dutch actor.

Sports Stars

Diemen has also been home to several athletes:

Barend Bonneveld (1887–1978) was a heavyweight wrestler who competed in the Olympics in 1912 and 1920.
Maarten Arens (born 1972) is a Dutch judoka (someone who practices judo).
Junas Naciri (born 1973) is a retired Dutch professional footballer.
Levi Heimans (born 1985) is a Dutch track cyclist who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Daley Blind (born 1990) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for AFC Ajax and has played many international games.
Adam Maher (born 1993) is another Dutch professional footballer.
Riejanne Markus (born 1994) is a Dutch world champion cyclist.