Alkmaar

Alkmaar is on the 'peninsula' of Holland, north of Amsterdam and Haarlem. In the Middle Ages, this was a region of lakes and marshes, lying behind the coastal dunes. (The medieval coastline was different: the sea began north of the line Medemblik - Schagen - Petten). In the last 800 years, the region behind the dunes was reclaimed from lakes and the sea - often several times, as land was flooded again and again. The polders around Alkmaar are among the oldest in the Netherlands. The small Achtermeer, south of Alkmaar, was the first recorded drainage of a lake by windmills, in 1532.

Alkmaar began as a small settlement on higher ground, a natural sand ridge (old beach line). The oldest towns and villages in the County of Holland were built on these ridges, or at the edge of the dunes: Alkmaar is the most northern of the towns. The settlement was first recorded in the 9th century. As it grew, Alkmaar was granted city rights in 1254. It had a strategic importance as a defensive position for the County of Holland: the hostile West Frisian lands began on the other side of the moat, on the Oudorp side.

By the late Middle Ages, Alkmaar was the largest town north of Amsterdam and Haarlem, and it still is. It was a market town for the agricultural products of the region, and the Alkmaar cheese market is a reminder of that function. In 1573, during the Dutch Revolt, Alkmaar was besieged by the Spanish forces. The siege failed, and since then the 'victory at Alkmaar' is regarded as a turning point in the Netherlands' independence from Spain.

In the 17th century Alkmaar was an important provincial city, and the layout of the old city is mainly from this period. Some of the older buildings, including all the city gates, were demolished in the 19th century, but most of the damage to the historic character was done by urban renewal, from the 1960s onward.

Although it is near the sea, Alkmaar has no coastal harbor. The coastal dunes have no natural inlet, and shipping formerly sailed eastwards to the sea, via lakes and channels. Between Alkmaar and the coast are the forested dunes of the Schoorlse Duinen, most of it a nature reserve. At the edge of the dunes are the villages of Egmond-Binnen, Egmond aan den Hoef, Bergen, Schoorl and Groet. In late-medieval times the coast stopped just north of Groet, but the present coastline extends to Den Helder , a naval port at the northern tip of the province.

Alkmaar today is a medium-size Dutch city, and it has outgrown its municipal boundaries. Much of the newest housing is in suburbanised villages such as Heerhugowaard, 10   km to the north-east of the old city. Together with the city, they house about 200 000 people. However Alkmaar is not an administrative capital, it has no university but it has a university for professional education ('hogeschool' in Dutch), which offers bachelor's degrees in several programmes. Its proximity to Amsterdam prevents Alkmaar from being an independent regional urban center, like Zwolle or Maastricht .

Get in

Alkmaar is served by Intercity trains from Amsterdam, 4 trains per hour, journey time 35–40 minutes. These Intercity trains start in Nijmegen or Maastricht , stop at Utrecht and end in Den Helder. At Amsterdam-Sloterdijk station, on the western edge of Amsterdam, they connect with trains to Schiphol Airport, Leiden , The Hague , Rotterdam , Dordrecht and Breda .

Alkmaar is also on a train route from The Hague via Haarlem and Alkmaar, to Hoorn , every 30 minutes. At weekends, you must change trains in Haarlem.

By public transit

Alkmaar is served by train through Station Alkmaar     NS   , which is serviced with Sprinter (stopping train) and Intercity (fast train) services to Amsterdam , Utrecht , Arnhem , Nijmegen , Haarlem , Hoorn and Maastricht . The station's bus station is served mostly by Connexxion, for which it is a local hub, with buses to Egmond aan Zee (   165   ), Heerhugowaard (   160   ), Bergen aan Zee (   166   ) and Broek op Langedijk (   169   ). There are also two services to the province of Friesland via the Afsluitdijk, serviced by Arriva. These are   350   to Leeuwarden and   351   to Harlingen . The latter, however, is only active during summers. These two routes, however, are significantly faster than taking a train via Amsterdam and Zwolle to get to the same destinations.

Local bus services connect Alkmaar to surrounding villages and towns, up to about 30   km away. They all stop at Alkmaar bus station, beside the railway station. Some routes also stop at the northern edge of the old city centre (on Kanaalkade), or at the southern edge (at the Metiusgracht stop, across the bridge from the windmill 'Molen van Piet').

By ferry

You can get to visit Alkmaar from the UK by using a ferry to Holland. There are a number of ferry companies based in the North East of England whose ports in Holland are a short drive away from Alkmaar, which also offer a range of mini-cruises.

By bicycle

The signposted long-distance cycle route LF7 includes a section from Amsterdam to Alkmaar. This section begins by crossing on the ferry (Buiksloterwegveer), behind Amsterdam Centraal Station. About half the route is through rural areas, including the shore of the Alkmaarder Meer, 'Lake Alkmaar'- although in fact it is beside Uitgeest. It is the only large lake left in the region - all the others were drained over the last 450 years. In Alkmaar, the LF7 passes through the old city, near the station. The route is 57   km long, takes about 4 hours, and you must pay careful attention to the signs, or you will take a wrong turn. There is also a direct cycle route, along the N203 road via Zaandam. It has a cycle lane, but you would cycle for 2–3 hours alongside a busy road.

You can also rent a bike as you arrive in Alkmaar at Fietspoint Stoop beside the train station, immediately to the right as you exit. For more on bike rental (and other cycle routes) see below, Cycle routes and rental .

See

The old city of Alkmaar is approximately an oval, south-east of the station. It is about 1 km from east to west, so everything is within walking distance. Shops and public buildings are concentrated in the western part, nearest the station, the east and south are residential. There is one shopping centre just outside the old city, Noorderarcade, accessible by footbridge across the North Holland Canal. The old city contains most of the historic buildings.

From the station: turn right as you leave the station, along Stationsweg. Turn right along Scharlo, cross the bridge over the Singelgracht (the old moat), and you are in the old city. The bridge is 5–10 minutes walk from the station.

The west side

The bridge into the old city is called the Bergerbrug , the old route to Bergen. The city gate here (Bergerpoort) was demolished in the 19th century. On the corner just after the bridge, at Zevenhuizen 13-23, is the Hofje van Paling en van Foreest . A hofje is an almshouse, especially from before 1850, often built around an enclosed courtyard. They were funded by legacies of wealthy citizens and usually bore their names. This one was funded by a legacy of Pieter Claez Paling and Josina van Foreest, around 1540: their family coats of arms are above the door. Only Catholic women could live here until 1670, when Protestants were admitted but lived separately. With 19th-century additions, the hofje now forms a block around an enclosed garden.

Most of the moat around the old city has survived, its present extent dates from about 1590. On the north side it is now the Noordhollands kanaal, a shipping route, and the quayside is a busy road. On the west and south, the old bastions are planted with trees, and there is a footpath along the waters edge. A small section of the old city (around Heiligland) was cut off when the Noordhollands kanaal was built (in 1824).

The Clarissenbolwerk is the best preserved section along the old moat. The footpath passes an arched door leading to a vault: this is the former gunpowder magazine, converted to an icehouse around 1850. (The ice was cut from the moat in winter, and used to cool the vault until the summer). The vault is now home to Alkmaar's bats. The footpath also passes a small water gate, Lamoraalsluis: boats entered the small harbour here, Scheteldoekshaven, which connects to the Lindegracht and the Oude Gracht. The curving street Geest was also a canal, until 1899. The many breweries in Alkmaar were concentrated on the Lindegracht, when the harbour was still in use. Small canals linked Alkmaar to Egmond and to Bergen.

Alkmaar's oldest house ,

Kanisstraat 1 .

Restored in the 19th century, this house on the corner of Geest, is one of the oldest surviving houses of Alkmaar. There have been older houses in the city, but most of them have been wooden houses, and therefore did not survive the repeated city fires.   ( updated Nov 2018 )

Across the Singelgracht, at the end of the footbridge, is the Sint-Josephkerk

( Saint Joseph's Church ),

Nassaulaan 2 .

It is a typical example of the neo-gothic Catholic churches, built in the Netherlands from the mid-19th century until the First World War. This one was consecrated in 1910, and was designed by the office of Margry and associates, followers of the neo-gothic specialist and Rijksmuseum architect Cuypers . Cuypers himself designed the Catholic Sint Laurentiuskerk at Verdronkenoord 78. The Margry churches are described and illustrated at the same website .   ( updated Nov 2018 )

The only windmill of the city centre, De Groot , known better as De Molen van Piet

( Piet's Windmill ).

It can be found at the south end of the Clarissenbolwek. It is informally named after the family Piet, who run the mill to this day. Ownership has since been moved to the municipality though. Windmills were often placed on the bastions and ramparts of the city walls around Dutch cities, so that they could catch more wind. In Alkmaar, there were ten windmills on the walls, and one was built here in 1605. The present windmill, a grain mill, was built in 1769.   ( updated Nov 2018 )

Laurenskerk and Langestraat

The old city has two main squares: the one nearest the station is the Canadaplein, on the north side of Alkmaar's main church, the Sint Laurenskerk . Also known as the Grote Kerk, it was built between 1470 and 1520, at the highest point on the sand ridge. The late-gothic church is built in Brabant Gothic style: it contains the early-Renaissance tomb of Floris V, Count of Holland (1254 -1296). The church is open daily in summer, but it is now mainly used for conferences, receptions, and concerts. The Canadaplein is enclosed by the new city library and museum, and the theater and cultural centre De Vest.

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar ,

Canadaplein 1 ,

+31 725 489 789 ,

[email protected] .

Tu-F 10:00-17:00; Sa Su and holidays 13:00-17:00 .

A good regional museum, covering the history of Alkmaar and the region, especially the 16th and 17th centuries, and the growth of modern Alkmaar, with paintings from both period

[... truncated ...]

Alkmaar is served by Intercity trains from Amsterdam, 4 trains per hour, journey time 35–40 minutes. These Intercity trains start in Nijmegen or Maastricht , stop at Utrecht and end in Den Helder. At Amsterdam-Sloterdijk station, on the western edge of Amsterdam, they connect with trains to Schiphol Airport, Leiden , The Hague , Rotterdam , Dordrecht and Breda .

Alkmaar is also on a train route from The Hague via Haarlem and Alkmaar, to Hoorn , every 30 minutes. At weekends, you must change trains in Haarlem.

By public transit

Alkmaar is served by train through Station Alkmaar     NS   , which is serviced with Sprinter (stopping train) and Intercity (fast train) services to Amsterdam , Utrecht , Arnhem , Nijmegen , Haarlem , Hoorn and Maastricht . The station's bus station is served mostly by Connexxion, for which it is a local hub, with buses to Egmond aan Zee (   165   ), Heerhugowaard (   160   ), Bergen aan Zee (   166   ) and Broek op Langedijk (   169   ). There are also two services to the province of Friesland via the Afsluitdijk, serviced by Arriva. These are   350   to Leeuwarden and   351   to Harlingen . The latter, however, is only active during summers. These two routes, however, are significantly faster than taking a train via Amsterdam and Zwolle to get to the same destinations.

Local bus services connect Alkmaar to surrounding villages and towns, up to about 30   km away. They all stop at Alkmaar bus station, beside the railway station. Some routes also stop at the northern edge of the old city centre (on Kanaalkade), or at the southern edge (at the Metiusgracht stop, across the bridge from the windmill 'Molen van Piet').

By ferry

You can get to visit Alkmaar from the UK by using a ferry to Holland. There are a number of ferry companies based in the North East of England whose ports in Holland are a short drive away from Alkmaar, which also offer a range of mini-cruises.

By bicycle

The signposted long-distance cycle route LF7 includes a section from Amsterdam to Alkmaar. This section begins by crossing on the ferry (Buiksloterwegveer), behind Amsterdam Centraal Station. About half the route is through rural areas, including the shore of the Alkmaarder Meer, 'Lake Alkmaar'- although in fact it is beside Uitgeest. It is the only large lake left in the region - all the others were drained over the last 450 years. In Alkmaar, the LF7 passes through the old city, near the station. The route is 57   km long, takes about 4 hours, and you must pay careful attention to the signs, or you will take a wrong turn. There is also a direct cycle route, along the N203 road via Zaandam. It has a cycle lane, but you would cycle for 2–3 hours alongside a busy road.

You can also rent a bike as you arrive in Alkmaar at Fietspoint Stoop beside the train station, immediately to the right as you exit. For more on bike rental (and other cycle routes) see below, Cycle routes and rental .

See

The old city of Alkmaar is approximately an oval, south-east of the station. It is about 1 km from east to west, so everything is within walking distance. Shops and public buildings are concentrated in the western part, nearest the station, the east and south are residential. There is one shopping centre just outside the old city, Noorderarcade, accessible by footbridge across the North Holland Canal. The old city contains most of the historic buildings.

From the station: turn right as you leave the station, along Stationsweg. Turn right along Scharlo, cross the bridge over the Singelgracht (the old moat), and you are in the old city. The bridge is 5–10 minutes walk from the station.

The west side

The bridge into the old city is called the Bergerbrug , the old route to Bergen. The city gate here (Bergerpoort) was demolished in the 19th century. On the corner just after the bridge, at Zevenhuizen 13-23, is the Hofje van Paling en van Foreest . A hofje is an almshouse, especially from before 1850, often built around an enclosed courtyard. They were funded by legacies of wealthy citizens and usually bore their names. This one was funded by a legacy of Pieter Claez Paling and Josina van Foreest, around 1540: their family coats of arms are above the door. Only Catholic women could live here until 1670, when Protestants were admitted but lived separately. With 19th-century additions, the hofje now forms a block around an enclosed garden.

Most of the moat around the old city has survived, its present extent dates from about 1590. On the north side it is now the Noordhollands kanaal, a shipping route, and the quayside is a busy road. On the west and south, the old bastions are planted with trees, and there is a footpath along the waters edge. A small section of the old city (around Heiligland) was cut off when the Noordhollands kanaal was built (in 1824).

The Clarissenbolwerk is the best preserved section along the old moat. The footpath passes an arched door leading to a vault: this is the former gunpowder magazine, converted to an icehouse around 1850. (The ice was cut from the moat in winter, and used to cool the vault until the summer). The vault is now home to Alkmaar's bats. The footpath also passes a small water gate, Lamoraalsluis: boats entered the small harbour here, Scheteldoekshaven, which connects to the Lindegracht and the Oude Gracht. The curving street Geest was also a canal, until 1899. The many breweries in Alkmaar were concentrated on the Lindegracht, when the harbour was still in use. Small canals linked Alkmaar to Egmond and to Bergen.

Alkmaar's oldest house ,

Kanisstraat 1 .

Restored in the 19th century, this house on the corner of Geest, is one of the oldest surviving houses of Alkmaar. There have been older houses in the city, but most of them have been wooden houses, and therefore did not survive the repeated city fires.   ( updated Nov 2018 )

Across the Singelgracht, at the end of the footbridge, is the Sint-Josephkerk

( Saint Joseph's Church ),

Nassaulaan 2 .

It is a typical example of the neo-gothic Catholic churches, built in the Netherlands from the mid-19th century until the First World War. This one was consecrated in 1910, and was designed by the office of Margry and associates, followers of the neo-gothic specialist and Rijksmuseum architect Cuypers . Cuypers himself designed the Catholic Sint Laurentiuskerk at Verdronkenoord 78. The Margry churches are described and illustrated at the same website .   ( updated Nov 2018 )

The only windmill of the city centre, De Groot , known better as De Molen van Piet

( Piet's Windmill ).

It can be found at the south end of the Clarissenbolwek. It is informally named after the family Piet, who run the mill to this day. Ownership has since been moved to the municipality though. Windmills were often placed on the bastions and ramparts of the city walls around Dutch cities, so that they could catch more wind. In Alkmaar, there were ten windmills on the walls, and one was built here in 1605. The present windmill, a grain mill, was built in 1769.   ( updated Nov 2018 )

Laurenskerk and Langestraat

The old city has two main squares: the one nearest the station is the Canadaplein, on the north side of Alkmaar's main church, the Sint Laurenskerk . Also known as the Grote Kerk, it was built between 1470 and 1520, at the highest point on the sand ridge. The late-gothic church is built in Brabant Gothic style: it contains the early-Renaissance tomb of Floris V, Count of Holland (1254 -1296). The church is open daily in summer, but it is now mainly used for conferences, receptions, and concerts. The Canadaplein is enclosed by the new city library and museum, and the theater and cultural centre De Vest.

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar ,

Canadaplein 1 ,

+31 725 489 789 ,

[email protected] .

Tu-F 10:00-17:00; Sa Su and holidays 13:00-17:00 .

A good regional museum, covering the history of Alkmaar and the region, especially the 16th and 17th centuries, and the growth of modern Alkmaar, with paintings from both period

[... truncated ...]

The old city of Alkmaar is approximately an oval, south-east of the station. It is about 1 km from east to west, so everything is within walking distance. Shops and public buildings are concentrated in the western part, nearest the station, the east and south are residential. There is one shopping centre just outside the old city, Noorderarcade, accessible by footbridge across the North Holland Canal. The old city contains most of the historic buildings.

From the station: turn right as you leave the station, along Stationsweg. Turn right along Scharlo, cross the bridge over the Singelgracht (the old moat), and you are in the old city. The bridge is 5–10 minutes walk from the station.

The west side

The bridge into the old city is called the Bergerbrug , the old route to Bergen. The city gate here (Bergerpoort) was demolished in the 19th century. On the corner just after the bridge, at Zevenhuizen 13-23, is the Hofje van Paling en van Foreest . A hofje is an almshouse, especially from before 1850, often built around an enclosed courtyard. They were funded by legacies of wealthy citizens and usually bore their names. This one was funded by a legacy of Pieter Claez Paling and Josina van Foreest, around 1540: their family coats of arms are above the door. Only Catholic women could live here until 1670, when Protestants were admitted but lived separately. With 19th-century additions, the hofje now forms a block around an enclosed garden.

Most of the moat around the old city has survived, its present extent dates from about 1590. On the north side it is now the Noordhollands kanaal, a shipping route, and the quayside is a busy road. On the west and south, the old bastions are planted with trees, and there is a footpath along the waters edge. A small section of the old city (around Heiligland) was cut off when the Noordhollands kanaal was built (in 1824).

The Clarissenbolwerk is the best preserved section along the old moat. The footpath passes an arched door leading to a vault: this is the former gunpowder magazine, converted to an icehouse around 1850. (The ice was cut from the moat in winter, and used to cool the vault until the summer). The vault is now home to Alkmaar's bats. The footpath also passes a small water gate, Lamoraalsluis: boats entered the small harbour here, Scheteldoekshaven, which connects to the Lindegracht and the Oude Gracht. The curving street Geest was also a canal, until 1899. The many breweries in Alkmaar were concentrated on the Lindegracht, when the harbour was still in use. Small canals linked Alkmaar to Egmond and to Bergen.

Alkmaar's oldest house ,

Kanisstraat 1 .

Restored in the 19th century, this house on the corner of Geest, is one of the oldest surviving houses of Alkmaar. There have been older houses in the city, but most of them have been wooden houses, and therefore did not survive the repeated city fires.   ( updated Nov 2018 )

Across the Singelgracht, at the end of the footbridge, is the Sint-Josephkerk

( Saint Joseph's Church ),

Nassaulaan 2 .

It is a typical example of the neo-gothic Catholic churches, built in the Netherlands from the mid-19th century until the First World War. This one was consecrated in 1910, and was designed by the office of Margry and associates, followers of the neo-gothic specialist and Rijksmuseum architect Cuypers . Cuypers himself designed the Catholic Sint Laurentiuskerk at Verdronkenoord 78. The Margry churches are described and illustrated at the same website .   ( updated Nov 2018 )

The only windmill of the city centre, De Groot , known better as De Molen van Piet

( Piet's Windmill ).

It can be found at the south end of the Clarissenbolwek. It is informally named after the family Piet, who run the mill to this day. Ownership has since been moved to the municipality though. Windmills were often placed on the bastions and ramparts of the city walls around Dutch cities, so that they could catch more wind. In Alkmaar, there were ten windmills on the walls, and one was built here in 1605. The present windmill, a grain mill, was built in 1769.   ( updated Nov 2018 )

Laurenskerk and Langestraat

The old city has two main squares: the one nearest the station is the Canadaplein, on the north side of Alkmaar's main church, the Sint Laurenskerk . Also known as the Grote Kerk, it was built between 1470 and 1520, at the highest point on the sand ridge. The late-gothic church is built in Brabant Gothic style: it contains the early-Renaissance tomb of Floris V, Count of Holland (1254 -1296). The church is open daily in summer, but it is now mainly used for conferences, receptions, and concerts. The Canadaplein is enclosed by the new city library and museum, and the theater and cultural centre De Vest.

Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar ,

Canadaplein 1 ,

+31 725 489 789 ,

[email protected] .

Tu-F 10:00-17:00; Sa Su and holidays 13:00-17:00 .

A good regional museum, covering the history of Alkmaar and the region, especially the 16th and 17th centuries, and the growth of modern Alkmaar, with paintings from both period

[... truncated ...]