Haarlems Dagblad facts for kids
| Type | Regional daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Mediahuis |
| Publisher | HDC Media |
| Founded |
|
| Language | Dutch |
| Headquarters | Haarlem |
The Haarlems Dagblad is a local newspaper from Haarlem, a city in the Netherlands. It is famous for claiming to be the oldest newspaper in the world! This claim comes from it joining with another very old newspaper.
The Story of the Oldest Newspaper
The story of the Haarlems Dagblad's long history starts with an even older newspaper. This paper was first published in 1656. It was created by Abraham Casteleyn and his wife, Margaretha van Bancken.
How It Started
When it first began, the newspaper was called Weeckelycke Courante van Europa. This means "Weekly Newspaper of Europe." It came out once a week. In 1664, the government helped protect this newspaper from others trying to copy it. That's when its name changed to De Oprechte Haerlemse Courant. The word "oprecht" here meant "genuine" or "real."
After Abraham Casteleyn passed away in 1681, Margaretha was allowed to keep running the newspaper business. This was quite unusual for a woman at that time!
Growing Bigger
The newspaper started as a weekly. But soon, it began coming out twice a week. Then, it was published three times a week. By the 1800s, it was even a monthly paper. This newspaper was printed regularly before many English newspapers even existed.
There's a fun fact about its early days. A place called the Windsor coffee house used to tell people they had "the best chocolate." They also said they offered translations of the "Harlem Courant" as soon as it arrived. This shows how important and popular the newspaper was.
A Forced Merger
During World War II, the Netherlands was occupied by Germany. At this time, the Opregte Haarlemsche Courant was forced to join with the Haarlems Dagblad. This merger is why the Haarlems Dagblad can claim to be the oldest newspaper still being published today.
Today, the newspaper is owned by Mediahuis. This is a large company from Belgium that owns many newspapers.
