Aalsmeer

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Aalsmeer

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imagesize = 230px
image_caption =

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flag_size = 120x100px
image_shield = Aalsmeer.gif
shield_size = 120x100px


mapsize = 280px
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Netherlands
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = North Holland
leader_name = J.I.M. Hoffscholte
leader_party = VVD
area_footnotes = (2006)
area_total_km2 = 32.24
area_land_km2 = 20.66
area_water_km2 = 11.58
population_as_of = 1 January 2007
population_note = Source: CBS, [http://statline.cbs.nl/ Statline] .
settlement_type = Municipality
population_total = 25041
population_density_km2 = 1212
timezone = CET
utc_offset = +1
timezone_DST = CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2
latd = 52.27
latNS = N
longd = 4.77
longEW = E
website = [http://www.aalsmeer.nl www.aalsmeer.nl]

Aalsmeer (pronunciation|Nl-Aalsmeer.ogg) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. 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 - and the Ringvaart Canal. [http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9003200 "Aalsmeer"] . (2006). In "Encyclopædia Britannica". Retrieved December 13, 2006, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online] The town is located 13 kilometers (8 miles) southwest of Amsterdam.

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

Population centres

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

History

Aalsmeer is first referenced in a document from 1133 in which it is called "Alsmar" and is granted to the Abbey of Rijnsburg. 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 tracks 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 it 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 the Second World War, Aalsmeer gained a reputation for its Nazi support, mostly because of its fanatical National Socialistic mayor and a handful of fascist supporters. The supreme commander of the German Wehrmacht 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 12500 inhabitants. In 1968 the two auction businesses merged and formed the "Verenigde Bloemenveilingen Aalsmeer" (United Flower Auctions Aalsmeer). In 1972 a new large auction building was completed in South Aalsmeer and expanded in 1999. Having m2 to ft2|999000|precision=-4 of floor space, it is the largest commercial building in the world. Its close proximity to Schiphol Airport allows the growers access to markets worldwide. Since January 1, 2008 the flower auction has merged with FloraHolland.

The Endemol television studios are located in the former Central Auction building. And 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.

Local government

The municipal council of Aalsmeer consists of 19 seats, which are divided as follows:
* Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) - 6 seats
* de Progressieve Aalsmeerse Combinatie Tweeduizend Aalsmeer - 5 seats
* Aalsmeerse Belangen - 4 seats
* People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) - 4 seats

The current mayor is Pieter Litjens (VVD), who succeeded J. Hoffscholte (VVD) in May 2007.

References

* Statistics are taken from the [http://www.sdu.nl/staatscourant/gemeentes/gem2nh.htm SDU Staatscourant]

External links

* [http://www.plattegronden.nl/gemeenteaalsmeer/index.html A map of the municipality Aalsmeer]
* [http://2miljoen.nl/Top/Nederland/Noord-Holland/Aalsmeer/ Companies in Aalsmeer (in Dutch)]