Alkmaar

Sister cities

• Bath
• Troyes
• Darmstadt
• Uitenhage
• Bergama
• Tata
• Kunming

History

The earliest mention of the name Alkmaar is in a 10th-century document. As the village grew into a town, it was granted city rights in 1254. The oldest part of Alkmaar lies on an ancient sand bank a couple of meters (yards) above the surrounding region; it afforded some protection from inundation during medieval times. Its vicinage consists of some of the oldest polders in existence. Older spellings include Alckmar. On 24 June 1572, after the Geuzen captured the town, five Franciscans from Alkmaar were taken to Enkhuizen and hanged, becoming the martyrs of Alkmaar. In 1573, the city underwent a siege by Spanish forces under the leadership of Don Fadrique, son of the Duke of Alva. The citizens sent urgent messages for help to the Prince of Orange; he responded by promising to open the floodgates of the dykes and flood the region if the need arose, which despite the protestations of the peasantry, fearful for their harvest, he proceeded to do. Some of his dispatches fell into the hands of Don Fadrique, and, with the waters beginning to rise, the Spaniards raised the siege and fled. It was a turning point in the Eighty Years War and gave rise to the expression Bij Alkmaar begint de victorie ("Victory begins at Alkmaar"). The event is still celebrated every year in Alkmaar on 8 October, the day the siege ended. In 1799, during the French Revolutionary Wars, an Anglo-Russian expeditionary force captured the city but was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Castricum. After that battle, on 18 October 1799, the two opposing sides held the Convention of Alkmaar which met to determine the fate of the defeated Anglo-Russian force. The French victory was commemorated on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as "Alkmaer". The North Holland Canal, opened in 1824, was dug through…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  34,128
• Western Jackdaw

  Coloeus monedula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  31,397
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  29,086
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  27,379
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,123
• Great Egret

  Ardea alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  23,845
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  23,833
• Eurasian Coot

  Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  23,272

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2008-10-11
  19 km WNW of Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands
• M 3.7 — 2001-09-12
  54 km WNW of Petten, Netherlands
• M 3.4 — 2001-09-10
  10 km W of Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands
• M 3.8 — 2001-09-09
  7 km W of Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands