Aalsmeer | |
|---|---|
 Aerial photo of Aalsmeer, 2014 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
| Nickname: Flower capital of the world | |
 Location in North Holland | |
  Aalsmeer Location in the Netherlands | |
| Coordinates:52°16′N4°45′E / 52.267°N 4.750°E /52.267; 4.750 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | North Holland |
| Region | Amsterdam metropolitan area |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Gido Oude Kotte (CDA) |
| • Aldermen | |
| Area | |
• Total | 32.29 km2 (12.47 sq mi) |
| • Land | 20.12 km2 (7.77 sq mi) |
| • Water | 12.17 km2 (4.70 sq mi) |
| Elevation | −0.1 m (−0.3 ft) |
| Population (January 2021)[4] | |
• Total | 31,991 |
| • Density | 1,590/km2 (4,100/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Aalsmeerder |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 1430–1433 |
| Area code | 0297 |
| Website | (in English)Aalsmeer.nl |
Aalsmeer (Dutch:[aːlsˈmeːr]ⓘ) is a municipality and a town in theNetherlands, in the province ofNorth Holland. Its name is derived from theDutch for eel (aal) and lake (meer).[5] Aalsmeer is bordered by theWesteinderplassen lake, the largest open water of theRandstad, and theRingvaart Canal.[5] The town is located 13 km (8 mi) southwest ofAmsterdam.
The town is sometimes referred to as the flower capital of the world, as thelargest flower auction in the world is based in Aalsmeer, along with numerousnurseries and an experimental station forfloriculture.
The municipality of Aalsmeer consists of the following cities, towns, and villages: Aalsmeer,Kudelstaart,Oosteinde, as well as the hamletCalslagen.
Aalsmeer is located on the border of the formerHaarlem Lake. The older portion of the town is built on peat, and is surrounded bypolders. The polders consist of loamy soil and are 9–15 feet (2.7–4.6 m) below sea level.[6]
Aalsmeer is first referenced in a document from 1133 in which it is called "Alsmar" and is granted to the Abbey ofRijnsburg.Diederik VII van Kleef confirmed this grant in an act in 1199. The area was then a wilderness with alders and willow forests.
In its surroundings, large tracts of land were dug up for peat, creating large lakes and ponds such asOosteinderpoel (East End Pool), Schinkelpoel (Schinkel Pool), Stommeer (Stom Lake), Hornmeer (Horn Lake), Legmeer (Leg Lake), and the Westeinderplassen (West End Ponds). This left little land for agriculture, causing Aalsmeer's inhabitants to switch to fishery. The land was cultivated intensely, mostly for treenurseries.
The lack of dry land was countered by reclaiming some of the lakes, starting with Stom Lake in 1650, and followed by Horn Lake in 1674. In 1852, the largeHaarlem Lake, bordering on Aalsmeer, was made into a polder. Then followed Schinkelpoel, Oosteinderpoel, and Legmeer. Peat was no longer dug up and the fishing business declined. Yet horticulture increased, especially strawberry cultivation, which peaked between 1850 and 1885. The strawberry became the symbol for the flag of Aalsmeer: red (fruit), green (leaf), and black (soil). The cultivation of flowers began circa 1880, first with roses in greenhouses.
The growers would sell their strawberries and flowers to distributors who would bring them with barges to the market in Amsterdam. But the trade shifted to Aalsmeer where auctions began to be held in local cafés. In 1912 two auction businesses were established:Centrale Aalsmeerse Veiling (Central Aalsmeer Auction) in the town's centre andBloemenlust in Aalsmeer East.
During World War 2, Aalsmeer gained a reputation for itsNazi support, mostly because of its fanaticalNational Socialistic mayor and a handful offascist supporters. The highest supreme commander of the GermanWehrmacht in the Netherlands,Friedrich Christiansen, was a regular visitor. Following the war, more than a hundred court cases were held against Nazi supporters from Aalsmeer.
In 1950 Aalsmeer had 12,500 inhabitants. In 1968 the two flower auction businesses merged, and in 1972 a new large auction building was completed in South Aalsmeer and expanded in 1999.
The municipal council of Aalsmeer consists of 23 seats, which since 2022 are divided as follows:[7]
Theexecutive board consists of CDA, VVD and D66, with Gido Oude Kotte (CDA) as mayor.[8]
The bus interchange in Aalsmeer is called theHortensiaplein, where the buses meet. These services are:
All of these services are very frequent, half-hourly or more frequent.
Having 999,000 square metres (10,750,000 sq ft) of floor space, the flower auction building ofFloraHolland [nl] is one of thelargest commercial buildings in the world. Its close proximity to Schiphol Airport allows the growers access to markets worldwide. On 1 January 2008 the Aalsmeer flower auction merged with the united auctions of Naaldwijk and Rijnsburg under the name FloraHolland, and is the largest auction market in the world.[9] The flowers that are grown and sold here arecarnations,roses,lilacs,freesias,chrysanthemums,cyclamens, andbegonias.[6]
TheEndemol television studios are located in the former Central Auction building. The Bloemenlust building is nowadays asports, event, and congress centre. Dominating the Ringvaart canal are the large building halls ofRoyal De Vries Scheepsbouw.
Agriculture and manufacturing also play an important role in the economy of the locality.Dairy,beef,potatoes,vegetables, andfruit are the areas within agriculture, and the types of manufacturing in the city are farm products, sporting goods, boats, and packaging material.[10]
Aalsmeer has a number of annual events and festivals. The most famous was the Flower parade (Bloemencorso), every first Saturday in September. After 60 years, this tradition was discontinued in 2007 as the flower auction stopped its sponsorship. Other annual events are the "Pramenrace", every second Saturday in September and the Bands Night (Bandjesavond) in June.
Aalsmeer has a rich music scene. The best known groups and artists from Aalsmeer and Kudelstaart since 1970 are:
Places adjacent to Aalsmeer | |
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