Heemstede Facts for Kids

For other uses, see Heemstede (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids

Heemstede

Heemstede-Aerdenhout railway station

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in North Holland

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

9.64 km² (3.72 sq mi)

• Land

9.21 km² (3.56 sq mi)

• Water

0.43 km² (0.17 sq mi)

Elevation

1 m (3 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

26,429

• Density

2,870/km² (7,400/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Heemstedenaar, Heemsteder

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

2100–2106

Area code

023

Heemstede (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦeːmsteːdə]) is a town and a municipality in the western part of the Netherlands. It is located in the province of North Holland. In 2021, about 27,545 people lived there. Heemstede is just south of the city of Haarlem. It is known as one of the richest municipalities in the Netherlands.

History of Heemstede
Famous Places and Parks
Transportation
Famous People from Heemstede
- Sport Stars
Images for kids
See also

History of Heemstede

Heemstede grew up around a castle called Heemstede Castle. This castle was built near the Spaarne River around the year 1286. In the 14th century, a village started to form close to the castle. The castle was destroyed and rebuilt many times during this period.

Topographic map of Heemstede

One famous person who owned the castle was Adriaan Pauw. He bought it in 1620. Later, in 1653, a nearby area called Bennebroek separated from Heemstede and became its own area.

Heemstede grew slowly. By 1787, only 196 families lived there. Even back then, Heemstede was known as a "bedroom community." This means many people lived in Heemstede but worked in bigger cities like Haarlem and Amsterdam. Wealthy families from the cities would move to Heemstede in the summer. They wanted to escape illnesses that were common in the cities due to dirty canals. Because of this, many large country estates were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Some of these beautiful estates still exist today, like Oud-Berkenroede, Berkenrode, and Hartekamp.

In 1857, another municipality called Berkenrode joined with Heemstede. Later, in 1927, the northern part of Heemstede, including a large part of the Haarlem Forest, became part of the city of Haarlem.

Famous Places and Parks

Heemstede has several interesting places to visit and beautiful parks.

Groenendaal Park

Groenendaal Park was designed by John Hope. It was created by combining several country estates into one large park. It's a great place for walks and enjoying nature.

Vrijheidsbeeld (Freedom Statue)

The Vrijheidsbeeld is a statue made by Mari Andriessen. It celebrates freedom and remembers the people from Heemstede who died during the Dutch Revolt. You can find this statue in Groenendaal Park.

Slot Heemstede

This is the original site where the old Heemstede castle once stood. Even though the castle is gone, the area still holds a lot of history.

Hartekamp

Hartekamp was once the summer home of George Clifford, a wealthy man. He hired a famous scientist named Linnaeus to study and list all the plants in his gardens. Linnaeus wrote a detailed book about them called 'Hortus Cliffortianus'. George Clifford's house is not open to the public, but the gardens around it are now used as a campus and visitors can explore them.

Linnaeusbos (Linnaeus Forest)

This forest was originally part of the Hartekamp estate. George Clifford planted many trees here, and Linnaeus documented them. In 2007, Heemstede celebrated Linnaeus's 300th birthday because of his connection to the area.

De Naald

De Naald means 'the needle'. It is a monument put up by D.J. van Lennep. It honors Witte van Haemstede, who helped save Haarlem in a battle in 1304. It also remembers those wounded in another battle against the Spanish in 1573. Both battles are said to have happened near where the monument stands today.

Town hall
Villa Eikenrode, 1953
College Hageveld

Transportation

Heemstede has its own train station called Heemstede-Aerdenhout railway station. This station is on the main train line between Haarlem and Leiden, making it easy to travel to other cities.

Famous People from Heemstede

Many interesting people have lived in or come from Heemstede.

Portrait of Thomas Hope in Turkish Costume, 1805

Floortje Dessing, 2010

Adriaan Pauw (1585–1653) – He bought the town in 1621 and was an important Dutch politician.
Jan Hope (1737–1784) – A Dutch banker who spent his summers in Groenendaal Park.
Thomas Hope (1769–1830/1831) – A Dutch and British banker, writer, and art collector.
Ivan Smirnov (1895–1956) – A Russian WWI flying ace who later became a Dutch aviator.
Johan Limpers (1915–1944) – A Dutch sculptor and a brave resistance fighter during World War II.
Pieter Kooijmans (1933–2013) – A Dutch politician, lawyer, and diplomat.
Mieke Bal (born 1946) – A Dutch cultural theorist, video artist, and academic.
Joost Swarte (born 1947) – A Dutch cartoonist and graphic designer.
Dick Maas (born 1951) – A Dutch film director, writer, and producer.
Floortje Dessing (born 1970) – A Dutch radio and TV presenter, producer, and travel writer.
Thierry Baudet (born 1983) – A Dutch politician and leader of the Forum for Democracy party.
Julian Ras (born 2001) – A Dutch actor.

Sport Stars

Roepie Kruize, 1969

Joop van Dort (1889–1967) – A footballer who won a bronze medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Roepie Kruize (1925–1992) – A field hockey player and coach. He won bronze and silver medals at the Olympics.
Johan Neeskens (born 1951) – A famous Dutch former footballer and manager.
Annemieke Fokke (born 1967) – A Dutch field hockey player who won a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Jeroen Bleekemolen (born 1981) – A Dutch professional racing car driver.
Frank Korpershoek (born 1984) – A Dutch professional footballer.
Vincent Regeling (born 1997) – A Dutch professional footballer.