Aerdenhout
Encyclopedia
Aerdenhout is a small town in the municipality of Bloemendaal
, the Netherlands
. Located in the dunes between Haarlem
and the Netherlands's popular beach town Zandvoort
, it ranks as the wealthiest town in the Netherlands. The name "Aerdenhout" means Andere hout, Dutch for "the other wood", and was given it to distinguish this other wood
from the Haarlemmerhout
, just south of the city Haarlem.
, and other nearby cities. Residents of this village shop in nearby Heemstede
, as Aerdenhout itself has virtually no stores.
The village Aerdenhout is dominated by many stately homes and villas, each with a unique style or architecture, and mostly built in the period 1920-1930. A much older building is the "Haringbuys", an old pub along the Zandvoorterweg. In old times fishermen from Zandvoort walked with their stocks through the dunes to the open market in Haarlem and they would take some rest and drink in the Haringbuys. Opposite to this place is another old house situated: "Bosch en Landzigt". This is probably the oldest house in Aerdenhout. Actually, several people are living in this big building of which the cellars are several centuries old. There are still a few old trees in the garden. In the 20th century, mainly the families van Randwijck and Bierens de Haan were living in this historical house in Aerdenhout.
A special villa was Het Kareol
. This large estate with a high water tower that could be seen from the train, was situated in a beautiful park with a small forest on the Van Lennepweg. The house was built in 1908 by the German owner Mr. Bunge who spent a lot of money on its construction. He liked the music of Richard Wagner
and there were many tiles in the house with pictures referring to the opera Tristan and Isolde by Wagner. During the Second World War the house was used as a sanatorium
for wounded soldiers and suffered some damage. The Dutch Military Victims Association still has a magazine named the Kareoler. The house was demolished in the seventies and an apartment building was built on the same spot. The park grounds have been preserved.
During recent years, many new houses have been built in Aerdenhout without their own style, changing the character of the village.
Club "Rood-Wit" on the Zwaluwenweg 11.
is a stop on the busy railway line between Amsterdam, Haarlem and Rotterdam.
Bloemendaal
Bloemendaal is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. According to the Dutch Central Statistical Bureau, Bloemendaal is the wealthiest place in the Netherlands.-Population centres :...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Located in the dunes between Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
and the Netherlands's popular beach town Zandvoort
Zandvoort
Zandvoort is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes...
, it ranks as the wealthiest town in the Netherlands. The name "Aerdenhout" means Andere hout, Dutch for "the other wood", and was given it to distinguish this other wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
from the Haarlemmerhout
Haarlemmerhout
The Haarlemmerhout is the oldest public park of the Netherlands. It lies on the south side of Haarlem, on the same old sandy sea wall that is shared by the public park Haagse Bos in the Hague and the Alkmaarderhout in Alkmaar.-History:...
, just south of the city Haarlem.
Commuter town
Aerdenhout functions mostly as a suburb for wealthy commuters to Haarlem, AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and other nearby cities. Residents of this village shop in nearby Heemstede
Heemstede
Heemstede is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History :Heemstede formed around the Castle Heemstede that was built on the Spaarne River around 1286. Before 1296, Floris V, Count of Holland, granted Heemstede as a fiefdom to Reinier of Holy...
, as Aerdenhout itself has virtually no stores.
The village Aerdenhout is dominated by many stately homes and villas, each with a unique style or architecture, and mostly built in the period 1920-1930. A much older building is the "Haringbuys", an old pub along the Zandvoorterweg. In old times fishermen from Zandvoort walked with their stocks through the dunes to the open market in Haarlem and they would take some rest and drink in the Haringbuys. Opposite to this place is another old house situated: "Bosch en Landzigt". This is probably the oldest house in Aerdenhout. Actually, several people are living in this big building of which the cellars are several centuries old. There are still a few old trees in the garden. In the 20th century, mainly the families van Randwijck and Bierens de Haan were living in this historical house in Aerdenhout.
A special villa was Het Kareol
Het Kareol
Het Kareol is a large apartment complex on the Van Lennepweg in Aerdenhout.-History:The original central building on the estate had a high water tower that could be seen from the train and was built in 1908 by a German-born Amsterdammer, the banker and chairman of the Wagnervereniging, Julius Carl...
. This large estate with a high water tower that could be seen from the train, was situated in a beautiful park with a small forest on the Van Lennepweg. The house was built in 1908 by the German owner Mr. Bunge who spent a lot of money on its construction. He liked the music of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
and there were many tiles in the house with pictures referring to the opera Tristan and Isolde by Wagner. During the Second World War the house was used as a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
for wounded soldiers and suffered some damage. The Dutch Military Victims Association still has a magazine named the Kareoler. The house was demolished in the seventies and an apartment building was built on the same spot. The park grounds have been preserved.
During recent years, many new houses have been built in Aerdenhout without their own style, changing the character of the village.
Sports clubs
Aerdenhout is home to the mixed Field HockeyField hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
Club "Rood-Wit" on the Zwaluwenweg 11.
Railway transportation
Its railway station Heemstede-AerdenhoutHeemstede-Aerdenhout railway station
Heemstede-Aerdenhout is a railway station in Heemstede and Aerdenhout, the Netherlands. The station opened on 1 October 1891 and is located on the site of the old Toll house for the Leidsevaart canal, which still flows next to the station from Haarlem to Leiden. This canal still follows the Oude...
is a stop on the busy railway line between Amsterdam, Haarlem and Rotterdam.
Famous residents
While the general Bloemendaal area is very wealthy, it is not known for its celebrities. Notable people who live or lived in Aerdenhout include:- Wubbo OckelsWubbo OckelsProf. Dr. Wubbo Johannes Ockels is a Dutch physicist and a former ESA astronaut. In 1985 he participated in a flight on a space shuttle , making him the first Dutch citizen in space. He was not the first Dutch-born astronaut, as he is preceded by the naturalized American Lodewijk van den Berg, who...
- First Dutchman in space - Roel PieperRoel Pieper-Early life and education:Pieper was born in Vlaardingen, son of an engineer at a car manufacturer. His father died when Pieper was 20, and on his 18th birthday he suffered a motoring accident which destroyed his sporting career as a player of the Juventus Schiedam basketball team. According to...
- Businessman and ex-vice president of the Phillips Corp - Albert HeijnAlbert HeijnAlbert Heijn B.V. is a supermarket chain founded in 1887 in Oostzaan, Netherlands. It is named after Albert Heijn, Sr., the founder of the first store in Oostzaan....
- Founder's son and previous owner of Ahold, one of the largest corporations in the world - Dirk van den BroekDirk van den BroekDirk van den Broek is a Dutch businessman, founder of the Samenwerkende Dirk van den Broek Bedrijven, one of the largest family-owned businesses in the Netherlands. The company includes grocery stores, travel agencies, drug stores, liquor stores and various other ventures. Born in Amsterdam in...
- Businessman and founder of the Samenwerkende Dirk van den Broek Bedrijven. - Family Bleekemolen - Racing family, father Michael BleekemolenMichael BleekemolenMichael Bleekemolen is a former racing driver who raced for the RAM and ATS teams in Formula One.He graduated from Formula Vee and tried his hand at Formula One in 1977, where he...
and his two sons Sebastiaan and Jeroen BleekemolenJeroen BleekemolenJeroen Bleekemolen is a Dutch racing driver.In a Chrysler Viper GTS-R he drove in the FIA GT Championship, with great success. He competed in the very competitive German Formula 3 Championship and drove a number of times at the Masters of Formula 3 at Circuit Zandvoort, the unofficial F3 World...
.