Aalsmeer () is a municipality and a town in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, in the province of

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

. Its name is derived from the Dutch for eel (''aal'') and lake (''meer''). Aalsmeer is bordered by the Westeinderplassen lake, the largest open water of the

Randstad The Randstad (; "Rim City" or "Edge City") is a roughly crescent- or Circular arc, arc-shaped conurbation in the Netherlands, that includes almost half the country's population. With a central-western location, it connects and comprises the Net ...

, and the Ringvaart Canal. The town is located 13 km (8 mi) southwest of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. The town is sometimes referred to as the flower capital of the world, as the largest flower auction in the world is based in Aalsmeer, along with numerous nurseries and an experimental station for

floriculture Floriculture (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found ...

Population centres

The municipality of Aalsmeer consists of the following cities, towns, and villages: Aalsmeer, Kudelstaart, Oosteinde, as well as the hamlet Calslagen.

Geology

Aalsmeer is located on the border of the former Haarlem Lake. The older portion of the town is built on peat, and is surrounded by

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

s. The polders consist of loamy soil and are below sea level.

History

Aalsmeer is first referenced in a document from 1133 in which it is called "''Alsmar''" and is granted to the Abbey of

Rijnsburg Rijnsburg () is a village in the eastern part of the municipality of Katwijk, in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It lies on the Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn, from which it takes its name. History Rij ...

. 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 as Oosteinderpoel (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 tree nurseries. 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 large Haarlem 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 and ''Bloemenlust'' in Aalsmeer East.

World War II

During World War 2, Aalsmeer gained a reputation for its

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

support, mostly because of its fanatical National Socialistic mayor and a handful of

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

supporters. The highest supreme commander of the German

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

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.

Post war

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.

Local government

The municipal council of Aalsmeer consists of 23 seats, which since 2022 are divided as follows: *

Christian Democratic Appeal The Christian Democratic Appeal ( , CDA) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in the Netherlands. Formed as a federation in 1975 by the Catholic People's Party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, and the Christian Historical ...

(CDA) – 6 seats * Absoluut Aalsmeer (AA) – 6 seats *

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( , VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberal List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. The VVD, whose forerunner was the Freedom Party (Netherl ...

(VVD) – 5 seats *

Democrats 66 Democrats 66 (; D66) is a social liberal and progressive political party in the Netherlands, which is positioned on the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum. It is a member of the Liberal International (LI) and the Alliance of Li ...

(D66) – 3 seats *

GreenLeft (, ; GL) is a green political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the ...

(GL) – 2 seats * Labour Party (PvdA) – 1 seat The executive board consists of CDA, VVD and D66, with Gido Oude Kotte (CDA) as mayor.

Public transport

The bus interchange in Aalsmeer is called the ''Hortensiaplein'', where the buses meet. These services are: * 171 - ''Aalsmeer'' - Bovenkerk -

Amstelveen Amstelveen () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands, with a population of 95,996 as of 202 ...

- Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA Station * 198 - ''Aalsmeer'' - Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ( Schiphol Sternet) * 340 - (

Mijdrecht Mijdrecht is a town in the Netherlands with about 16,000 residents. It is located in the municipality of De Ronde Venen, about west of the main A2 motorway, between Utrecht and Amsterdam. The main street is the Dorpstraat, where most shops an ...

2x per hour) -

Uithoorn Uithoorn () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Population centres The municipality of Uithoorn includes the town of Uithoorn and the village of De Kwakel. ''Map of the municipality of Uithoorn, Ju ...

- ''Aalsmeer'' - Hoofddorp Station -

Hoofddorp Hoofddorp (; ) is the main town of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. In 2021, the population was 77,885. The town was founded in 1853, immediately after the Haarlemmermeer had been drained. Hi ...

Heemstede Heemstede () is a town and a municipality in the Western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. In 2021, it had a population of 27,545. Located just south of the city of Haarlem on the border with South Holland, it is one of the richest ...

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

Haarlem Station Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the more populated metropolit ...

* 357 - ( Kudelstaart 2x per hour) - ''Aalsmeer'' -

City Centre - Amsterdam Centraal * 342 - Schiphol, Airport - Schipholgebouw Schiphol, - P30 Parkeerterrein Schiphol-Rijk, Beechavenue - Aalsmeer, Dorpsstraat - Aalsmeer, Zwarteweg/N196 - Uithoorn, Poelweg Uithoorn, - Noorddammerweg Uithoorn, - Burg. Kootlaan Uithoorn, - Uithoorn, Busstation * N57 - Amsterdam Centraal -

City Centre -

- Bovenkerk - ''Aalsmeer'' (Nightbus) All of these services are very frequent, half-hourly or more frequent.

Economy

Having of floor space, the flower auction building of is one of the largest 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. The flowers that are grown and sold here are

carnation ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' ( ), commonly known as carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus'' native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region. Its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive cultivation over the last 2,00 ...

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

lilac ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly ...

s, freesias,

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

s, cyclamens, and

begonia ''Begonia'' is a genus of perennial flowering plants in the family Begoniaceae. The genus contains more than 2,000 different plant species. The Begonias are native to moist subtropical and tropical climates. Some species are commonly grown ...

s. The

Endemol Endemol B.V. (stylized in all lowercase) was a Dutch-based media company that produced and distributed multiplatform entertainment content. The company annually produced more than 15,000 hours of programming across scripted and non-scripted gen ...

television studios are located in the former Central Auction building. The Bloemenlust building is nowadays a sports, event, and congress centre. Dominating the Ringvaart canal are the large building halls of Royal De Vries Scheepsbouw. Agriculture and manufacturing also play an important role in the economy of the locality.

Dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

potatoes The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

vegetables Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...

, and

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

are the areas within agriculture, and the types of manufacturing in the city are farm products, sporting goods, boats, and packaging material.

Culture

Events

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.

Music scene

Aalsmeer has a rich music scene. The best known groups and artists from Aalsmeer and Kudelstaart since 1970 are: * Eton Crop * Hobo String band * The Whatts * Livin' at A * Madeliefjes * Los Boundros * Café Blue (later: Koel Bewaren) * Ten Beers After * Katelijne van Otterloo Group * Social Animal

Notable people

* Jan de Pous (1920 in Aalsmeer – 1996) a Dutch politician and economist * Ada van Keulen (1920 in Aalsmeer – 2010) a Dutch woman participant in the resistance in

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* Joost Hoffscholte (born 1942) a retired Dutch politician, Mayor of Aalsmeer 1985 to 2007, lives in Aalsmeer * Fred Borgman (1946 in Aalsmeer – 11 May 1996) was a Dutch politician, an alderman of Aalsmeer 1974 to 1978 * Theodore van Houten (1952 in Aalsmeer – 2016) a Dutch-British writer, journalist and radio-theatre producer * Peter R. de Vries (born 1956 in Aalsmeer – July 15, 2021) a Dutch investigative journalist and crime reporterIMDb Database
retrieved 22 January 2020 * Pieter Litjens (born 1968) a Dutch politician, Mayor of Aalsmeer 2007 to 2012

Sport

* IJke Buisma (1907 in Aalsmeer – 1994) a Dutch high jumper, competed in the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the IX Olympiad (), was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from 28 July to 12 August 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam had previously bid for ...

* Jan Bol (1924 in Aalsmeer – 2010) a Dutch sailor who competed at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

* Jan Jongkind (1932 in Aalsmeer – 2024) a sailor who competed at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

* Piet Bon (1946 in Aalsmeer – 2010) a retired Dutch rower, competed at the

* Michael Buskermolen (born 1972) a Dutch retired footballer with 399 club caps with

AZ Alkmaar Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known internationally as AZ Alkmaar, or simply and most commonly as AZ () in the Netherlands, is a Dutch professional Association football, football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan#The Zaan district, Zaan district. ...

, lives in Kudelstaart * David Pel (born 1991 in Aalsmeer) a Dutch tennis player

Footnotes

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

*
Bloemencorso Aalsmeer
(in Dutch) {{Authority control Populated places in North Holland Municipalities of North Holland