1. The first thing you see when you leave the station are rows of bicycles. After all, you are in Holland where it is flat and very conducive for riding the two wheeler. The elevation of Haarlem is around 23 feet above sea level.
If you feel lost just ask any one and you will be surprised how friendly the locals are and how well they know English. Keep in mind that people who don't live in one of the two provinces North or South Holland don't like to be called a 'Hollander', they are Nederlanders. But in Haarlem we are in North Holland. Of course the word 'Dutch' is a whole different story.

When you leave the station, bear to your right (west). Cross the area with all the buses and continue to the main street to the right. We are going to the center of the city first by taking the direct route of the Kruisstraat. It is about one half mile.
After a couple short blocks you come to our first canal. It is the Nieuwe Gracht (New Canal). While we are standing on the bridge, let me explain a couple things about the history of Haarlem.

The fist indications of Haarlem dates to the 10th century; but it was not until 1245 when Count Willem II officially granted it to be a city with its own sheriff and city administration. Haarlem had a good strategic location along the trading routes going north and south and right along the river Spaarne. Notice the river winding its way on the map below. The original city area was surrounded by the river, this 'new' canal we see here and the Oudegracht (Old Canal). The latter is now filled in and made into a major road.
The town grew and flourished and during the 14th century Haarlem was the second largest city in Holland, surpassing Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the Hague. Only Dordrecht was larger.
As time progressed and the city prospered, defensive walls and more canals were built and we now see a map from around the middle of the sixteenth century. Notice the windmills surrounding the water ways and the towers similar to those we saw in Tallinn, Estonia. Then compare this old map with a similar one printed in 1646. Not a whole lot had changed in the one hundred years.

2.The bridge we are standing on was the north gate. The old map shows a strange jog in the canal which made it more difficult for the enemy to charge the defensive wall and tower. Considering this canal has been here well over five hundred years, it is interesting that it is still called the 'New Canal'.
Notice the large building to your left. This is the residence of the bishop of Haarlem. The church, St. Joseph, however, is further away on the Jansstraat. We will discuss religion in Holland a bit later when we are at the Grote Kerk (Large Church). Suffice it say here that the residence of a bishop came about in 1853, many years after the 'Reformation'.
Let us continue until we come to our next attraction, the museum of Corrie ten Boom.

jewelry store you will find a posting for the next time. If the wait is ten minutes or more, come back later, but don't miss it!!! Meanwhile take a quick look at the area near here.

4. Most European towns have a central market place where people used to come to shop and trade. It was a place where you could meet people and enjoy different events. In Haarlem it is still that way.
The first thing you see when you enter the Grote Markt is the church at the east end. It is the Grote Kerk or also known as Sint Bavo. We will visit it later during our walk and also learn a bit about its history, so 'ignore it' if you can. Right now let's stroll around the 'square' which is more like a rectangle. Besides the church you will notice the city hall to your right. It is at the west end or behind you in the picture.

It is a strange looking building with several sections that were added at various times. In 1955 remains were found that indicate that a wooden building was on this spot as early as 1100. Then two large fires in 1347 and again in 1351 almost destroyed the wooden structures. The Count of Holland, William II had his castle at this location, but after the fires he moved to the Hague and donated the remaining building to the city. A completely new building was erected during the first part of the 17th century. The facade to the left was redesigned by the architect Lieven de Key around 1603. It shows the typical raised entry and steps sometimes used to make declarations and speeches to the audience on the square. The balcony above served the same purpose.

If you should come to the Markt on Saturday or Monday, you will find numerous canvas covered stalls where you can buy flowers (Saturday) or clothing, fruits and vegetables on Monday. During the rest of the week and when the weather is nice, you can relax with a drink or buy some 'poffertjes' (little puffs) from the yellow wagon on the square. Poffertjes are small pancakes that are covered with powdered sugar or strawberries. The recipe uses yeast; hence they tend to puff up. They go well with a cup of coffee.

But let us take a stroll around the square in a counter-clockwise direction. There are a few buildings and a statue that you should see. The first section along the south side has an hotel and shops. Then you come to the 'Hallen', a long building with the baluster on top. It is known as the Verweyhal. It and the Vleeshal next door are part of the Frans Hals Museum where special exhibits can be seen. If there is something you like to see here, then by all means go ahead. But keep in mind that the main museum comes later on our tour.
The last building along the south side is the Vleeshal (Meat Hall). It has a very ornate design with a high gabled roof and lots of unusual features. This building was designed by the same architect who did the city hall from 1602 to 1604. It was originally used by a guild of butchers to sell fresh meat. Notice the ox-heads on the front of the building. In 1840 it was converted to the city's library and National Archives. The Haarlem Archeological Museum is located in the basement and there is no fee to see it. If you go around to the side of the Vleeshal you will have another interesting view, but come back to the Grote Markt. We will continue to the right of the church. To see the Grote Markt in a panoramic view and to get a look inside the Hallen, take a look at the two web sites by Bastiaan Naber, the photographer. See Link 4.

The long narrow building with the glass roof next to the St. Bavo church is the Vismarkt or Fish Market. It was built in 1769 and indeed this was where fish mongers conducted business for many years.
It is now used for art exhibits and other cultural events. A few years ago it was the scene of a two day international chess tournament; but usually you can find exhibits of paintings, photographs, sculptures and other art objects.
Let's have a look at the bronze statue in the square.

This is Laurens Janszoon Coster (born ca. 1370). Many Haarlemers know him as the inventor of the printing press. The story is told that Laurens during an outing with his grandchildren carved a letter out of the bark of a tree. The piece (that he holds in his hand) fell in the soft sand and left an imprint. This gave him the idea to carve wooden letters in reverse, coat them with ink and press them onto paper. He developed this further using lead and started a printing company. This was around 1420.
When Laurens was ill, one of his assistants, the letter cutter Johann Fust, stole his presses and type and took them to Mainz in Germany where he started his own printing company. It was here that much later, circa 1439, Johann Gutenberg printed the Gutenberg Bible and it was he who subsequently was credited with the invention of the printing press. The true story????

Let's finish our loop of the Grote Markt along the north side. Notice the square building on the corner. This is the Hoofdwacht, one of the oldest buildings in Haarlem. From 1250 to around 1350 it served as the first city hall of Haarlem. After

that it became a private residence. The lower part of the house has been used as a printing shop and a beer storage place. The building was bought by the municipality in 1755 to serve as headquarters for the city guards; hence the name Hoofdwacht.
As we continue you will notice the awful white front of an otherwise old and stately house in the middle of the block. There are several places in Haarlem where the city fathers allowed these grotesque changes to be made. I my opinion, these 'modern' influences have no place in this historic setting. I have included a copy of a postcard showing what it looked like more than a hundred years ago.

When you arrive back at the city hall continue straight into the side street, the Zijlstraat (sail street).

5. Behind the city hall and just off the Zijlstraat is a narrow alley called 't Pand or Pandpoort. It leads us to the Prinsenhof. This was originally the garden of a Dominican cloister. In 1477 it was converted to a graveyard. The 'Reformation' and the end of Catholic churches in Holland also meant the demise of the cloister. In 1721 the city converted the 'hof' or courtyard into a herb garden for use by the college of medicine (Collegium Medicum). Now these units are for rent by the city, but some herbs can still be found.

From here we go south to the Jacobijnestraat where we turn right. The name Jacobijn stems from the time of the Dominican monks and was named for another cloister in Paris, Rue St. Jacques. (Jacob and Jacque; get it?) We are on our way to the Frans Hals Museum but not until we have seen a few 'hofjes'.
Let me explain:
Hofjes date back to the 14th century, such as the van Bakenes Hofje. Even then these court-yard homes were intended to be for the older and poor women of the community. They consisted of a small room with tiny kitchen and the residents could plant vegetables in the garden. The hofjes were often built in response to a will left by a rich person who wanted to be in the good grace of God and donate land and buildings to those who were in need. Hence we have family names associated with most or all of them. To be admitted and live in one of these units, a committee of three or four regents had to except the applicant with the understanding that all belongings went to the organization when the person died. As a consequence several of these 'hofjes' and their regents became very rich and powerful.
Haarlem had many wealthy residents and at one time had as many as 40 hofjes. Now there remain 20. Most can be visited during the day. They are still occupied, so when you visit some of these, please be considerate of those who live here. Don't peek into any windows, for example.

6B Hofje van Loo, Barrevoetstraat 7, was founded in 1489 by the mayor Symon Pieterszoon van Loo. It originally consisted of 13 rooms and, as their will provided, it was 'purely to honor and rest the souls of their parents and themselves'.
Extensive renovations have taken place since then and now this hofje is the most visible from the street of all the hofjes in Haarlem. The front-row of three houses was demolished in 1880 when the street in front, the Barrevoetesteeg, was widened. So instead of the typical U-shape of houses around a garden, one side of the hofje is now located at the street, separated only with a fence.

6C Buinings Hofje, Botermarkt 9, was founded in 1610 by Jan Bruininck Gerritz. It is also owned by the Mennonite Church. Look for the entrance near the bicycle rack. Again many changes have taken place during the last 400 years. The hofje originally had rooms for six women with a common privy in the garden. There was no running water or gas heat until 1936, when it was remodeled. That reduced the space to five homes, with further changes in 1978 when the number of houses was reduced to four. Because it is still one of the wealthiest in Haarlem, the rent is free for the 4 women living here; they only need to pay for the utilities.

6D Brouwers Hofje, Tuchthuisstraat 40. The Gasthuisstraat now has a new name. As you walk along, you might have a look at this hofje. Go through the gate shown to the right.
After you leave continue along the

6E Hofje van Guurtje de Waal, Lange Annastraat 40, was founded in 1616 by Guerte Jansdochter de Wael, daughter of a rich textile trader. Originally there were six units that have been converted into four rental units. The entrance gate is worth a look, but it may not be possible to visit the inside. Continue on Annastraat and turn left on Doelstraat. That takes you to a small 'square' or triangle where you turn right.

The militiamen who met here for shooting practice were also painted by Frans Halls. In fact, he was one of them. These were the gentlemen who were in charge of Haarlem during the first part of the 17th century. Sometime during that century the mansion was converted to a 'Heeren Logement' or gentlemen's hotel. It was a stagecoach stop between The Hague and Amsterdam. The etching by R. de Hooghe in 1688 shows the two distinct sections and the entry gate still visible today. In 1707 it became the 'proveniershuis', or a house for elderly men who were able to pay their share of room and board. Others who had no money were kept in the men's poor house known as the