
The ''Haarlems Dagblad'' is a regional newspaper in
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 ...
, Netherlands. It claims to be the oldest newspaper in the world still in printed circulation, although it was forced to merge with another Haarlem-based newspaper during the
German occupation of the Netherlands
Despite Dutch neutrality, Nazi Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 as part of ''Fall Gelb'' (Case Yellow). On 15 May 1940, one day after the Rotterdam Blitz, bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces ...
.
''Oprechte Haerlemsche Courant''
This earlier publication was published by Abraham Casteleyn and his wife
Margaretha van Bancken, beginning in 1656 under the title ''Weeckelycke Courante van Europa'' ("Weekly Newspaper of Europe"). In 1664, when the authorities took steps to protect the weekly from its imitators, it became known as ''De Oprechte Haerlemse Courant'' (spellings vary; "oprecht" is here used in its archaic sense of "genuine"). After her husband's death in 1681, Margaretha received permission to carry on the activities of the firm.
Margaretha van Bancken
in 1001 Vrouwen
The weekly (which soon began appearing twice and subsequently three times a week, and in the nineteenth century became a monthly) thus preceded English regular newspapers. In the paper's early days, the ''Windsor'' coffee house
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, Caffè americano, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually ...
used to advertise that, apart from offering "the best chocolate", it supplied translations of "the ''Harlem Courant'' soon after the post is come in".
During the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War, the ''Opregte Haarlemsche Courant'' was forced to merge with ''Haarlems Dagblad''; hence the latter paper's claim to being the oldest title extant. The merged newspaper is owned by Mediahuis
Mediahuis (; ) is a European multinational newspaper and magazine publishing, distribution, printing, television, radio and online media company founded in 2014 with assets in Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg and Germany. Mediahuis ...
, a Belgian newspaper conglomerate.
References
External links
''Weeckelijcke Courante''
Dutch-language information about the original title with facsimile versions of the first front page, the first back page and the advertisement
Advertisements in the ''Oprechte Haerlemsche Courant'' from the start up to 1675
{{Authority control
Daily newspapers published in the Netherlands
Dutch-language newspapers
Mass media in Haarlem
Joh. Enschedé
1656 establishments in the Dutch Republic
Publications established in 1656