Beemster

Beemster parish

flag	coat of arms
province	North Holland
mayor	Karen Heerschop ( independent ; acting)
Seat of the municipality	Middenbeemster
Area  - land  - water	72.07  km 2 70.58 km 2 1.49 km 2
CBS code	0370
Residents	9,748 (Jan 31, 2019)
Population density	135 inhabitants / km 2
Coordinates	52 ° 34 ′  N , 4 ° 56 ′  E Coordinates: 52 ° 34 ′  N , 4 ° 56 ′  E
Important traffic route
prefix	0299
Postcodes	1461-1464
Website	Beemster's homepage

Beemster Polder
UNESCO world heritage
National territory:	Netherlands
Type:	Culture
Criteria :	(i) (ii) (iv)
Reference No .:	899
UNESCO region :	Europe and North America
History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1999  (session 23)

De Beemster ( listen ^{? / I} ) ( West Frisian Biemster ) is a polder and a municipality in the Dutch province of North Holland . The polder became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.

Linguistic

In the Netherlands the name Beemster is used with the definite article . So it doesn't mean : Hij woont in Beemster. , but: Hij woont in de Beemster. ( German  he lives in the Beemster. ). The same applies to the other polders, Wormer , Purmer , Schermer , and often also Wieringermeer , Haarlemmermeer and the Bijlmermeer district of Amsterdam.

places

• Middenbeemster (seat of the municipal administration), in the middle of the polder
• Zuidoostbeemster
• Westbeemster
• Noordbeemster

Location, transport and economy

Topographic map of the municipality, 2013.

The polder is located in the middle of the province, between Alkmaar , Hoorn and Purmerend . It is cut through by old, dead straight streets and moats . The lack of curves can lead to the fact that drivers drive too fast or overlook certain risks such as side streets, town entrances, crossing cyclists and others due to the monotony of the journey. This phenomenon, known in the Netherlands as "polderblindheid" (German polder blindness ), has led to several accidents in Beemster, so that the municipality has taken special measures, including reducing the maximum speed.

The next train station is in Purmerend.

The main source of income is animal husbandry, including for the Beemster cheese, which is still sold at the Alkmaar cheese market . Beemster is also the trade name for a cheese brand.

Tourism is also becoming increasingly important.

history

Around the year 800 the area that today forms the municipality of Beemster was a bog. The name Beemster is derived from Bamestra, a small river in the area. The peat removal by humans in combination with storm surges led to the fact that the river grew into an inland lake between 1150 and 1250, which then also got an open connection to the Zuiderzee.

Since in the 16th century this lake spread through floods and storm surges and threatened the neighboring cities, it was decided in 1607 to found a company (compagnie) to drain the lake. This plan was carried out under the supervision of the famous engineer Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater from Graft-De Rijp . On May 19, 1612, the lake was emptied and turned into fertile, rich pastureland. Well-known builders designed village churches, houses and farms. De Beemster became and still is one of the wealthiest regions of Holland at the time.

In the 1780s, the well-off writer Betje Wolff (1738–1804) lived in the rectory of Middenbeemster . She worked here with her colleague Aagje Deken on her epistolary novel Sara Burgerhart (1782). This work is considered by many connoisseurs to be the best product of 18th century Dutch literature.

North Beemster

Attractions

Example of a monumental farm (Middenweg 194)

• The polder, with its many well-preserved and richly decorated farms from the 17th century, its old, straight streets, the beautiful village of Middenbeemster and the still-preserved windmills , has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO .
• The village church of Middenbeemster is very worth seeing. Guided tours are organized there in summer.
• The former rectory of Middenbeemster is now a Betje Wolff Museum. Even those not interested in the writer will appreciate the furnishings of the house with furniture from the 18th century.

politics

Distribution of seats in the municipal council

Local elections 2018

 %

50

40

30th

20th

10

0

46.7

20.0

12.7

11.5

9.2

BPP

VVD

PvdA / GL

D66

CDA

Gains and losses

compared to 2014

 % p

 14th

 12

 10

   8th

   6th

   4th

   2

   0

  -2

  -4

  -6

  -8th

-10

-12

-14

+12.8

+3.5

-0.2

-12.1

-3.8

BPP

VVD

PvdA / GL

D66

CDA

The local elections on March 21, 2018 resulted in the following distribution of seats:

Political party	Seats
	2006	2010	2014	2018
Beemster Polder Partij	5	4th	4th	6th
VVD	3	2	2	3
PvdA / GroenLinks	-	-	2	2
D66	-	3	3	1
CDA	2	2	2	1
PvdA	3	2	-	-
total	13	13	13	13

Town twinning

• Studená u Telče , Czech Republic

Sons and daughters of the church

• Henricus Droog (* 1944), rower

Web links

Commons : Beemster  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the municipality (Dutch)
• Tourist office website (Dutch)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Karen Heerschop (59) warning burgemeester van Beemster. In: Noordhollands Dagblad . Holland Media Combinatie, March 5, 2020, accessed April 2, 2020 (Dutch). 
2. ↑ Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand . In: StatLine . Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Dutch)
3. ↑ Result of the local elections , accessed on April 28, 2018 (Dutch)
4. ↑ Allocation of seats in the municipal council: 2006–2010 2014 2018 , accessed on April 11, 2018 (Dutch)