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7. When you arrive at the Frans Hals Museum you might think you were lost, because the exterior does not look like a museum that houses a large collection of valuable paintings. After you enter through the gate and see the interior and central courtyard, you might change your mind. Remember, this used to be another 'hofje', one for older men who needed financial help. The statue in the entrance is that of a resident with his poor-box asking for donations around the city. It is reminiscent of the days when men over 60 lived here, two to a tiny room, and had to go out and beg for their subsistence. A lot of changes have taken place, so enjoy the collection of the famous portrait painter.
  
   

 
Frans Hals was born in Antwerp around 1580 but came to Haarlem with his parents when he was four years old. Like so many other Flemish, they had fled the Spanish oppression. He studied painting under Karel van Mander and at age 27 became a member of the Guild of Saint Luke. He was hired by the city of Haarlem to restore a large number of religious paintings by earlier artists but his interests were portraits. In 1616 he was commissioned to do a large, full size group portrait called The Banquet of the Officers of the St. George Militia Company. You will see it inside. It was the real start of his career and fame. Like Rembrandt, Frans Hals excelled in capturing the individuals expressions, and in group paintings he did not pose them in formal settings. You can just feel that the likeness was real. The children laughed and all was peaceful and nice. No wonder he became famous and was asked to paint many of the wealthier and better known citizens. Yet, like Rembrandt, Frans Hals died in poverty. For more details about his life and works, you might go to Link 7.

8. We are on our way to the St. Bavo Church. So when you leave the museum turn left and go north along Groot Heiligland. On the map at the end of this page I have shown two ways you can go. The first is more direct, while the detour a bit more interesting. Your timing will dictate which way, but we are now about half way along. At the end of the picturesque Warmoesstraat you can see the south entrance to the church to your right.
The Grote Kerk, as it is known locally, dates back to around 1245. During the next two hundred years the building was erected basically as we see it today. But it took several modifications such as the taller section in light sandstone. Prior to that (1402) the tower was more 'free standing' and had a clock and seven bells, the heaviest of which weighs more than 10,000 pounds. The ceiling of the church is wood with detailed designs clearly visible from the inside. The Muller organ was added in 1738 and is the most ornate feature of the interior. It takes up most of the west wall and is almost 100 feet high. It has 5000 pipes, the biggest of which is more than 30 feet long. For many years it was the largest organ in the world. To hear some music played by the church's organist, Jos van der Kooy, go to Link 8.
  
Bavo is the patron saint of Ghent in Belgium and Haarlem. He was born in 589 AD, became a soldier and was later converted to be a Christian monk and donated his worldly possessions and time to the poor.
This was all during the era of the Catholic Church. But the 'Reformation' that took place during the 16th and 17th century changed all of this. Anabaptism, or the believe that a person should be baptized when he/she is old enough to know right from wrong rather than as an infant, became very popular in the low countries. John Calvin added to this with his teachings of absolute obedience to God. At the time Spain technically owned the country. The Spanish started harsh prosecution campaigns in the name of 'Inquisition', who were believers and who were not. The people in the north rebelled. This led to the 'Beeldenstorm' or 'Statue storm' of 1566. People went crazy and in groups entered the churches to destroy religious depictions of biblical scenes. Statues, paintings and other religious emblems and treasures were plundered and burst to pieces and burnt. The Spanish retaliated and it was the start of the 'Eighty Year War'. It finally ended in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia where the Netherlands was recognized as an independent state. But the damage to the church buildings, the removal of all 'icons' and the death of several priests would remain a blemish for ever.
 

For the most part the decorations in the church are simple. The 'pews' are wooden chairs, there are few statues nor large paintings on the walls, and you will not find the typical gold and glitter of churches in other parts of Europe. This is a Protestant Church, not a Catholic cathedral. The wooden ceiling deserves a long look (a look towards heaven?). And then there are the three ship models in front of the former chapel of the seamen's guild. They are Dutch warships: a 16th century armed merchant ship, a 17th century frigate and a pinnace. Unusual!
Also notice the falcon of St. Bavo on the table below and the grave of Frans Hals.
  
 
The church is open to the public on Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. When you are ready to leave go through the north wing entrance. To the left you will see the main square, but slightly to your right is the corner of Jansstraat. Our tour will go from this point to the Teyler Museum along the river Spaarne. If you think you have little or no time left, go up Jansstraat and it will take you to the train station.

9. Continue east passed the Jansstraat to the next corner where you see some interesting buildings. This is the 'Klokhuis Plein' or clock house square. The bell tower, originally from 1479, has been rebuilt but it used to be part of the printing shop of Johan Enschedé who was the countries printer of paper money and postage stamps. The building has since been converted into a food court. Now go south around the church to Damstraat where you turn left. It takes you to the river, the Spaarne. On the corner you see a gray stone house. It is now a bar, but used to be the 'Waag' or weigh house. It was used to weigh goods brought into Haarlem by boat. Turn the corner and you cannot miss the Teyler Museum, our next stop.
  
 

This is the oldest museum in the Netherlands. It was built in 1784 to house exhibits of natural historic artifacts collected by Pieter Teyler, a wealthy banker and merchant. You will find fossils, minerals, coins and books as well as scientific instruments that were part of this fellows hobby. Teyler was a descendent of a rich Scottish family and made his wealth as a silk and cloth merchant in Haarlem. In 1763 he became more and more active as a banker. Pieter was a Mennonite and, because of the Reformation and the Protestant administration, he was unable to participate in organisations such as the Dutch Society of Science. So, he started his own collection of fossils and instruments. Eventually it became quite large and he decided to make the items available for study and put them up for display. In addition, Teyler's will made provisions for a yearly science prize to be awarded by the keepers of his library, art and science collection. Pieter Teyler died in April 1778, but his name is well remembered in Haarlem for the contributions he made to that city. For details see link 9.

  


10. When you leave the museum go to the white draw bridge. You should at least walk across. Besides windmills, Holland is also famous for these unusual bridges. You can find them almost everywhere. Obviously the concept is that the center span can be tilted to let tall ships pass through. The top beams serve to carry the counter weights so it does not take much force to swing the centers up. Small bridges might have only one of those beams. Later along the Spaarne you will see another type of bridge that swivels at the center creating two passage ways for ships; it's called a 'draaibrug'.
I remember as a young man in Holland that when we took our sailboat through the

 

canals and we had to have the bridge opened, we would blow a horn. The bridge keeper would come out, stop the traffic and open the bridge. As we passed by he would swing a pole with a rope to us. Attached to the end would be a small wooden shoe. We grabbed that and put in some money for the bridge keeper's efforts.
On the other side of the Spaarne you will also find the dock of the canal tour boats. If you have time you might consider taking this one hour tour. It takes you along the river and canals around Haarlem. See Link 10.
After you cross the bridge again and walk along the west bank, have a look across and back towards the bridge. You can see two old and two new home designs. Notice the square rigging of the modern style.

 

11. Follow the river as shown on the map. Just after it makes a sweeping turn you will find Teyler's Hofje. Just like the ones we saw earlier, this was for elderly women but it is by far the most prestigious in Haarlem not only for its size and grandeur but also its prime location along the river. Pieter Teyler was the one who left instructions in his will for its construction in 1787. He wanted to found a hofje when his wife died in 1752 and purchased the Kolder hofje. It was renovated during his lifetime, but he found it still needed improvements for the residents. In his will he stipulated that a new hofje should be built in his name and the old hofje premises be sold. Below are pictures of the entrance and garden that you can visit at your leisure.

 

You may see some boat traffic on the river. Some of these barges are huge for the narrow channel. The waters of Holland have always been a means of transporting goods and for recreation. I remember once that we took our sailboat all the way from Rotterdam to Alkmaar, going from one canal to the next river or lake. We probably passed right by here; I don't remember the exact route.
Directly west of Haarlem are the dunes that protect the land from the pounding surf of the North Sea. The sandy hills mixed with the clay soil form a band of very fertile soil that is ideal for cultivating tulip and other flowering bulbs. But it also acts as a filtering system for the rain water that flows into the Spaarne.

  
Because of the clean water flowing through Haarlem numerous small beer breweries had their plants along the river until the 16th century. As a result of the Spanish repression in northern France and Belgium (Vlaanderen at that time) many immigrants came to live in Haarlem. They brought along their textile manufacturing skills and found that the clean water was ideal for making some of the best white linens and silk goods. The city's population grew from 18,000 in 1573 to around 40,000 in 1622. At one point, in 1621, over 50% of the population was Flemish-born. Haarlem's linen became world famous and the city flourished.
However, good clean water does not last when too many people up-stream misused it, and the river slowly became polluted. To continue making beer, another source for the water was needed. Rather than relocating, a canal was dug due west to a small lake in the dunes and ships would carry barrels of clear water to the breweries. The canal is still there and, of course, is called the Brouwersgracht (Brewers Canal). At one time there were as many as 100 breweries in the city. Most was distributed to North Holland, but towards the end of the 17th century the trade had diminished and in 1820 the city records did not list anymore breweries.

12. Our last point of interest is the windmill along the river. You will see it as we continue our stroll along the water front towards the swivel bridge. De Adriaan, it is called. As we get closer you can see that it is a bit unusual at the base. It is built on top of an old building, one of the towers of the former city walls. The mill has an interesting history and is quite picturesque at its location.
To read more about the mill go to Link 12.
Now cross to the north side of the Nieuwegracht (New Canal) and walk along this scenic stretch until you come to the Jansstraat where we turn right to walk to the train station.

 

 
With the windmill in mind we have come to the end of a full day in Haarlem. I hope you had fun, didn't get lost too often and now know the difference between Haarlem and Harlem (New York). If you are going back to Amsterdam, be sure to buy your train ticket before you board. Happy travels from Jay and Sharon.

For details and some video clips of Haarlem attractions see the following links

3. Corrie ten Boom museum, http://www.haarlem.tv/index.php?PageID=109&movie=corrietenboom
Also see this web site, http://www.corrietenboom.com/information.htm

4. Panoramic views of the 'Hallen', http://www.panoguide.com/gallery/1401/
Also see this web site, http://www.panoguide.com/gallery/998/

7. Frans Hals, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frans_Hals
Also see this web site, http://www.haarlem.tv/index.php?PageID=13&moviea=franshals&ext=

8. Bavo Church organ, http://mypipeorganhobby.blogspot.com/2008/02/pipe-organ-has-been-my-lifelong.html

9. Teyler museum, http://www.haarlem.tv/index.php?PageID=10&movie=tylers&ext=

10. Haarlem canal tour, http://www.postverkadecruises.nl/content/tpl_general.asp?pid=15&mid=15

12. History of the windmill De Adriaan, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Adriaan,_Haarlem



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