Aalsmeer

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 tracts 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 them 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. During World War 2, Aalsmeer gained a reputation for its Nazi support, mostly because of its fanatical National Socialistic mayor…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  52,447
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  44,893
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  42,029
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  41,262
• Common Chiffchaff

  Phylloscopus collybita (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  40,685
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  39,853
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  39,700
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  38,617

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2008-10-11
  19 km WNW of Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands