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Hoofddorp (; ) is the main
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of the municipality of
Haarlemmermeer Haarlemmermeer () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. Haarlemmermeer is a polder, consisting of land reclaimed from water. The ...
, 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 ...
, 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 2021, the population was 77,885. The town was founded in 1853, immediately after the Haarlemmermeer had been drained.


History

After the draining of the Haarlemmermeer, two villages, Kruisdorp (Crossvillage) and Venneperdorp (Vennepervillage), were founded in the centre of the
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 ...
. In 1868, they were renamed to Hoofddorp, as there already was another Kruisdorp in Zeeland, and Nieuw-Vennep respectively. Hoofddorp became more prosperous than Nieuw-Vennep, and it rapidly became the most important place of the district.


Landmarks

Hoofddorp is a relatively young town and therefore has few historical buildings. In 2008, Hoofddorp had 26
municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...
, provincial and
national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...
s. In the late nineteenth century Hoofddorp was included in the Defense Line of Amsterdam.The Defence Line of Amsterdam
retrieved 24 January 2007.
A
fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
was built next to the main canal, two batteries were located in what are now the outskirts of Hoofddorp, and several
casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" ...
s were built to the east of Hoofddorp. A large dike known as the ''Geniedijk'' (Engineers' dike) connected the fort at Hoofddorp to the batteries and the casemates, and ultimately to the fort at Vijfhuizen in the west and the fort at Aalsmeer in the east. Hoofddorp has nine national monuments. The mill De Eersteling on the Hoofdweg is a round corn mill from
1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – The American sidewheel steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatl ...
and was built in the centre of Hoofddorp by Dirk David van Dijk.Home page of mill "De Eersteling"
, retrieved 27 March 2008.
It was called "De Eersteling" (literally translated''The First''). Due to increased building around the mill it eventually fell into disuse.. It was originally located on the Kruisweg in the old centre of Hoofddorp, but was moved in its entirety by trailer in
1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
and is now located near Fort Hoofddorp. It has operated regularly from that time and is now open to the public. The Witte Boerderij on the Hoofdweg is a kop-rompboerderij from 1860 and is a good example of a Haarlemmermeer farm from the early days of the polder. The Witte Boerderij is now home to the ''Stichting Meer-Historie''. Other monuments include the Old Town Hall from 1867, the District Court from 1911 and the Polderhuis of the Haarlemmermeer from 1913. The latter was built to a design by architect Foeke Kuipers in a historicizing architectural style that harks back to 17th-century Dutch classicism. Another monument is Marktzicht, formerly the center of Hoofddorp's market activities. The Geniedijk runs through Hoofddorp, part of the Defense Line of Amsterdam. This defense line is on the
World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
. Fort Hoofddorp is located in that dike.


Historical Museum

The ''Historical Museum Haarlemmermeer'' can be found on the Bosweg (ex-Kruisweg). The museum has all sorts of things to find about the history of the
Haarlemmermeer Haarlemmermeer () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. Haarlemmermeer is a polder, consisting of land reclaimed from water. The ...
. Among other things, it has objects related to the draining. The museum is located in part of the old Mentzhoeve farm. This farm from 1860 resembles a Limburg farm in the sense that all the buildings were built around a courtyard. The Mentzhoeve is the only farm of this type in the Haarlemmermeer.


Transport

The town is served by Hoofddorp railway station. In the 2020 timetable there are 4 trains an hour to Leiden (weekdays), 4 trains an hour to Amsterdam Zuid railway station, 2 trains an hour to Zaandam, and 4 trains an hour to Amsterdam Centraal. Journey times to Amsterdam Centraal are 25 – 30 minutes. On 3 August 1912, Hoofddorp was connected by rail to
Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
, Aalsmeer and
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 ...
. Informational page about the Haarlemmermeer Spoorlijnen
retrieved 19 January 2007.
These railway lines, operated by the (HESM), were closed on 31 December 1935. In 1981, Hoofddorp was connected by rail for the second time, this time to
Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
and Schiphol Airport as a part of the Schiphollijn. The Southern High-Speed Line, that opened in 2007, will use existing conventional track from Amsterdam Central Station to Hoofddorp, where it will branch off onto a dedicated track. The trains will not stop at Hoofddorp.HSL-Zuid
, retrieved 19 January 2007
On 30 November 1992 the Hoofddorp train disaster took place near Hoofddorp, causing 5 deaths and 33 wounded. Hoofddorp is connected by many bus lines to many cities and towns in the immediate surroundings. Most bus lines are operated by Connexxion. In 2002, Hoofddorp was connected to
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 ...
, Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Zuidoost by the high quality bus line Zuidtangent. Zuidtangent informational page
, retrieved on 19 January 2007
In 2009 came the Second line from Amsterdam Zuid railway station to Nieuw Vennep . The Zuidtangent will be expanded by adding a line to Uithoorn and
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 ...
IJburg IJburg () is a residential neighbourhood under construction in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is situated in the IJmeer and is being built on artificial islands which have been raised from the lake. The Haveneiland, Rieteilanden, Steigereiland and C ...
. The bus station at Spaarne Hospital in Hoofddorp is the world's biggest structure built entirely from synthetic materials: factory-cut
polystyrene Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It i ...
foam with a
polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain one or two ester linkages in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include some natura ...
skin. At this moment it has been painted in a sort of orange colour. However, the municipality has decided to remove the structure because of high maintenance costs. In January 2019, CEO of
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipal ...
Dick Benschop announced that agreements had been reached to extend the Amsterdam Metro's North-South line to the airport and Hoofddorp.


Government and infrastructure

The Netherlands Aviation Safety Board, during its existence, had its head office in Hoofddorp. The Dutch Transport Safety Board, the successor agency, was established on 1 July 1999 and the Netherlands Aviation Safety Board was merged into the agency at that time.


Private transport

Hoofddorp is well connected to several of the main roads in the Netherlands. At , the A5 motorway branches off to
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 ...
from the A4 motorway that leads to
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 ...
and
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. The A9 motorway can easily be reached via Badhoevedorp or the junction of the A4 and A9 at . Hoofddorp itself lies on the crossing of the two main secondary roads in
Haarlemmermeer Haarlemmermeer () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. Haarlemmermeer is a polder, consisting of land reclaimed from water. The ...
: the N201 from
Hilversum Hilversum () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is ...
to Zandvoort and the N520, that runs alongside the main canal of the Haarlemmermeer and dissects the
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 ...
from north to south. The suburb of ''Toolenburg'' is connected to an as yet to be developed industrial area by the bridge ''Lute'', which was designed by
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spaniards, Spanish-Swiss people, Swiss architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stad ...
as part of a series of 3 bridges over the main canal along the N520. The secondary road N205 connects Nieuw Vennep to
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 ...
and is part of the ring around Hoofddorp; the N201 also forms part of the ring.


Sports

FIFPro, the association of professional football players, is located in Hoofddorp.


Economy

Atlas Professionals is headquartered in Hoofddorp.
Stellantis Stellantis N.V. is a multinational automaker formed in 2021 through the Mergers and acquisitions, merger of the Italian–American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and the French PSA Group, PSA (Peugeot S.A.) Group. The company's hea ...
is headquartered in Hoofddorp.


Notable residents

* Fanny Blankers-Koen, four-time gold medallist at the 1948 Olympic Games in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. * C. Joh. Kieviet, writer of children's literature. * Tineke Netelenbos, former minister of Transport and Water Management in the second cabinet of Wim Kok. * Marly van der Velden, actress from the soap '' GTST''. * Khalid Boulahrouz, former professional footballer. * Fajah Lourens, actress from the former soap '' GTST''. * Rinus van Kalmthout, racing driver active in North America and also known as Rinus VeeKay. * Rianne Van Rompaey, top model, was born in Hoofddorp. * Lucas Cornelis van Scheppingen, DJ, Record Producer, born in Manila, Philippines, Raised in Hoofddorp owner of Mixmash Records. * Myron van Brederode, a Dutch professional footballer currently playing for
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. ...
* Déron Payne, a Dutch professional footballer currently playing for FC Volendam


References

* Garritsen, A.M. ''Pyttersen's nederlandse almanak''. , 1998.


Notes


External links

* {{Authority control Populated places established in 1853 Populated places in North Holland Haarlemmermeer 1853 establishments in the Netherlands