Haarlem, a philately attractive city
One of PostBeeld's stamp shops is located in Haarlem, whose owner, Rob Smit, is also the owner of this Stamp Blog. What else is there to experience philately in the capital of the province of North Holland? I went to investigate, and Haarlem has become my second (philatelic) city (after Leiden).
Haarlem City Hall
The first thing I came across was NVPH 1158, on which we see the Haarlem City Hall.
The Haarlem City Hall is located on the Grote Markt. A complex (hunting lodge) belonging to the Counts of Holland originally stood on this site. This complex, which served as a military and administrative center, was destroyed by fire in the 14th century. The city hall, a rectangular building with battlements and a tower, was erected on the same site in 1370. Between 1622 and 1630, an entirely new wing was built in the Dutch Renaissance style, designed by Lieven de Key. The city hall can also be seen on a maximum card and on a special FDC.
Haarlemmerhout
We leaf further through the catalogue and come across NVPH 1814, the Haarlemmerhout.
This group of sculptures depicts the figures from Camera Obscura, based on the book by Hildebrand (pseudonym of the writer Nicolaas Beets). Beets himself can also be found in the sculpture group. One of the most famous stories is: “An Unpleasant Man in the Haarlemmerhout”, which recounts a day spent by Beets in the Haarlemmerhout together with his unpleasant cousin Nurks.
View of Haarlem
A few issues further on, we encounter the painting by Jacob van Ruisdael titled “View of Haarlem,” which can be admired in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Jacob van Ruisdael, born in Haarlem in 1628, was a Dutch landscape painter. He grew up in the Haarlem painting milieu. It is unclear whether the artist died in Haarlem or in Amsterdam, but he is buried in the St. Bavo Church in Haarlem.
Beautiful Haarlem
We also see the St. Bavo Church on the right of the Mooi Haarlem stamp.
This beautiful church actually deserves its own stamp. We also see the famous De Adriaan windmill on this stamp. This mill, an octagonal tower mill, was opened on May 19, 1779. The windmill stands on the river Spaarne, at that time on the edge of the city. Because the mill was built on top of the tower's foundation, it stood high and thus caught a lot of wind. I also came across this mill on a stamp.
The silhouette of the historic building “De Vleeshal” on the Grote Markt is also visible on this stamp. From 1604 to 1840, De Vleeshal served as a place for selling meat. Subsequently, the hall served various functions: garrison town, National Archives, city library depot; after 1945, De Vleeshal was used for exhibitions. This building was also designed by Lieven de Key.
Famous people from Haarlem
There are many well-known people from Haarlem to be found in philately. I will name five because I have mentioned them before, or because I consider them special individuals, or because they have a connection to “my” Leiden. Yvonne van Gennip was born in Haarlem and is one of the most successful speed skaters that the Netherlands has produced. At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, she won three gold medals: in the 1500, 3000, and 5000 meters.
Nicolaas Beets was born in Haarlem. He was an author, poet, minister, and professor. Under the pseudonym Hildebrand, he wrote the famous book Camera Obscura. He studied theology at Leiden University, and he wrote this book during his student days in his student room on Breestraat in Leiden.
Lieven de Key worked and died in Haarlem. He was one of the most important Dutch master builders. His works can also be admired in Leiden, including the City Timber Yard and the facade of Leiden City Hall.
Frans Hals worked his entire life in Haarlem and died there in 1666. He is considered one of the most important Old Dutch Masters and became particularly known for his lively and colorful militia group portraits and depictions of contemporaries.
Finally
On my search, I also found: – A postcard with the Amsterdam Gate in Haarlem
(The Amsterdam Gate was built in 1355 and is the only remaining city gate of the twelve the city once had) – A personalized stamp from the Haarlem Jamborette (The Haarlem Jamborette is an international camp organized every 4 years. A large number of volunteers from the Haarlem region enthusiastically help to make this event a reality).
– The Haarlem Philatelic Society Op Hoop van Zegels.
– A beautiful stamp of Haarlem's partner city: Angers.
– A city stamp, on which we can also see the city hall
– Johan Enschedé's company, among others a printer of (many) stamps, is located in Haarlem. A series of stamps about this company was also issued when it celebrated its 300th anniversary.
The high regard in which this company is held is evident from the texts on the stamps: “Boundless security century after century” and “three hundred years of genuine value printer”. Do you have any more Haarlem philately? 
'@.Another interesting contribution from Uncle Willem. I was just passing through Haarlem for a bit recently and enjoyed the atmosphere; there is a lot in common with Leiden, especially the canals. It's a pity that a visit to Rob wasn't possible due to lack of time. Haarlem is more than worth a visit, and I will schedule a Postbeeld for a future occasion. It's a shame that there are so few to no benches in the shopping streets to enjoy the atmosphere in peace and quiet.
Nice story. Leiden remains my favorite city 🙂
Nice piece! As long as you don't actually cheat, you're allowed to philately cheat in Haarlem 😉
Nice piece about Haarlem and philately, Willem. I do wonder (as a former resident of Heemstede) whether there is actually a windmill from Haarlem in the stamp. There is also one on the Groenendaal and Heemstede estate, within which the estate is still situated. When you enter there from the village, you see “Het Molentje”; could that not be the one meant for the stamp?
What a nice piece, Willem! I read them from Nashville too, as you can see!
@ AadB; Thanks for your positive reaction. My contribution from last week about BOERHAAVE was in the top 4 of the most read blogs. This one is resonating with readers too, so that provides inspiration for the future.
@ Marleen, Annet and Wilma: Nice to have so many female fans.
@ Cees: You could very well be right. I lack local knowledge, and because the mill in the stamping looked very much like the Adriaan to me, I drew this conclusion.
@ Postzegelblog: At the introduction of this article, I had Rob's photo in mind. Did he not want to, or is he too modest? What have you put in its place? I don't recognize this stamp.
'@willem: No, Rob thought it was too much of an honor to have his head serve as the headline for the article 😉
We have used an image from an article by Bate about the design of the Mooi Nederland stamps: https://www.postzegelblog.nl/2010/09/12/ontwerperstrio-mooi-nl-2010-de-achtergrondgedachte/
What a nice piece about Haarlem; I've become a little 'wiser' again. I'm curious to see which other places you'll take a closer look at.
Hi Willem,
It’s unbelievable what you’ve prepared this time. Of course, a trip to another interesting place is fine by me too. Where do you find the time and energy? You’ve done a fantastic job.
Greetings,
Alice
“On the stamps, we have taken the liberty of depicting Middelburg’s most famous monuments in a new arrangement,” says graphic designer Joris Smidt. “The result is a surprising new facade line, featuring the fronts of the town hall and the abbey, while a building of the Veersepoort stands proudly in the foreground, depicted on a smaller scale than the town hall for the occasion. Here, too, the characteristic red ornaments of the abbey lighting are visible. Hans Lipperhey views the entire scene from the long-gone seventeenth century.”
Nice, Willem, all that news about Haarlem. My Ria and I got married in that beautiful town hall, and we had our wedding reception on the Grote Markt at the famous Brinkman restaurant. During our courtship (54 years ago), we mainly explored the beautiful surroundings of Haarlem, as you can imagine! Regards from Paul
Nice piece about Haarlem, but in 2011 the Haarlem philatelic society Op Hoop van Zegels celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Three stamps were issued at the time; see the website at the bottom: http://ohvz.nl/news/?c=5
Sincerely,
Hans
The windmill on the printed postcard is certainly the (ornamental) windmill at the Groenendaal walking forest in Heemstede. Moreover, the Adriaan did not 'exist' in 1947: it had burned down in 1932 and was only rebuilt between 1999 and 2002.
'@arend: thanks for the addition
One person who certainly should not be missing from a “Haarlem” collection is, of course, Godfried Bomans. After all, he has his own stamp, doesn't he? That brilliant man was so versatile that he can find a place in quite a few thematic collections: Haarlem, but also literature, famous Dutch people, TV personalities, chess, insects, humor, comics, rivers (his stories about the Spaarne), philosophy, Catholicism, politics, islands (cf. the last TV broadcast), … And about Marlene Dietrich: “Oh, if only my wife had one leg like that.” You never forget that!
@Patrick: I see that Bomans indeed lived in Haarlem for quite some time. I had also spotted him in Leiden once before and written a short piece about it.
https://www.postzegelblog.nl/2013/05/21/godfried-bomans-op-zijn-leids-bekeken/#more-48503