Leidsevaart

Last updated
Leidsevaart
Leidsevaart-bollentocht2007.jpg
The canal near Hillegom
Leidsevaart
Country Netherlands
Specifications
Length28.4 km (17.6 miles)
Geography
DirectionNortheast
Start point Leiden
End point Haarlem
Beginning coordinates 52°11′18″N4°29′08″E / 52.1882°N 4.4856°E / 52.1882; 4.4856
Ending coordinates 52°22′56″N4°37′44″E / 52.3822°N 4.6288°E / 52.3822; 4.6288
Leidsevaart

The Leidsevaart (also known as Leidse trekvaart, Dutch for "Leiden's Pull-Canal") is a canal between the cities of Haarlem and Leiden in the Netherlands. It was dug in 1657, making it one of the oldest canals in the Netherlands. It was the major means of transport between Leiden and Haarlem for almost two centuries until the rail connection was established in the 19th century. The original stops along the railway mirrored the toll bridges of the canal.

Contents

The canal runs through or borders the municipalities of Haarlem, Heemstede, Bloemendaal, Hillegom, Noordwijkerhout, Lisse, Teylingen, Oegstgeest, and Leiden.

History

Document from 1657 authorizing construction of the canal. Aanbesteding Leidsevaart.gif
Document from 1657 authorizing construction of the canal.

The Leidsevaart was the extension of the Haarlemmertrekvaart (Haarlem's Pull-Canal) connecting Amsterdam to Haarlem. Travel on these canals was done by trekschuit for people, and by barge for goods, which were pulled by animals (and sometimes by man-power) on a towpath along the canal's edge. It was reliable, comfortable and cheap. The speed was about 7 kilometers per hour, which was faster than walking, and more comfortable than by coach. Many wealthy Amsterdam families had summer homes along the Leidsevaart or Spaarne River, and they arrived with their heavy belongings by barge, often being pulled or sailed all the way to their door, as most summer estates had canals dug for this purpose. Even today the old canals are visible though probably too shallow for a trekschuit.

The canal was kept up with toll money and taxes. Many estate owners spent money on making canal spurs to their doorstep and then had to pay taxes for fishing rights, "swan" keeping rights, or general canal use. The same was true for landowners whose lands were seized for digging the canal. They were compensated for the loss of the land strip taken up by the canal, but they had to pay for a bridge themselves. Trekschuit owners also had to pay taxes for using the canal. Taxes for traffic in people (by trekschuit) was heavier than taxes for traffic in goods (by barge). [2]

After the railway line from Leiden to Haarlem (Oude Lijn) was built, many of these extra costs made trekschuit travel unattractive and the canal quickly fell in popularity from 1842 onwards. Due to the many drawbridges along its course that are no longer in operation, the Leidsevaart is unsuitable for boat traffic nowadays and therefore has fallen mostly in disuse.

Estates along the Leidsevaart

Example of a modern bridge strong enough for autos that has replaced the former drawbridge near Vogelenzang. Only small craft, and low sailing boats with a moveable mast can pass. Leidse-Trekvaart met Bartenbrug.jpg
Example of a modern bridge strong enough for autos that has replaced the former drawbridge near Vogelenzang. Only small craft, and low sailing boats with a moveable mast can pass.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haarlem</span> City in North Holland, Netherlands

Haarlem is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the more populated metropolitan areas in Europe; it is also part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Haarlem had a population of 162,543 in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heemstede</span> Municipality in North Holland, Netherlands

Heemstede is a town and a municipality in the Western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. In 2021, it had a population of 27,545. Located just south of the city of Haarlem on the border with South Holland, it is one of the richest municipalities of the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillegom</span> Town and municipality in South Holland, Netherlands

Hillegom is a town and municipality in the Western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Hillegom is part of an area called the Duin- en Bollenstreek. As such, a large portion of the local economy was traditionally geared to the cultivation of bulb flowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witte van Haemstede</span> Dutch noble

Witte van Haemstede was a bastard son of Floris V, Count of Holland, famous for military prowess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob Gilles</span>

Jacob Gilles was Grand Pensionary of Holland from 23 September 1746 to 18 June 1749.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buitenplaats</span>

A buitenplaats was a summer residence for rich townspeople in the Netherlands. During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, many traders and city administrators in Dutch towns became very wealthy. Many of them bought country estates, at first mainly to collect rents, however soon mansions started to be built there, which were used only during the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkenrode</span> Former Dutch municipality, now part of Heemstede

Berkenrode, or Berckenroode is a former 'Heerlijkheid' in the Dutch province of North Holland, situated on the southwest side of Haarlem on the leidsevaart, north of Iepenrode and west of Heemstede. The original castle Berkenrode in the center of the moat was burned by the Spanish during the siege of Haarlem in 1572. The castle was rebuilt and despite suffering another fire in 1747 the settlement continued to function as a separate municipality with its own chapel up to 1857, when the town was annexed by Heemstede. The town archives are now kept at the North Holland Archives in Haarlem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trekschuit</span> Former system of tugged boats as a means of passenger traffic between cities in The Netherlands

Trekschuit is an old style of sail- and horse-drawn boat specific to the Netherlands, where it was used for centuries as a means of passenger traffic between cities along trekvaarten, or tow-canals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Naald, Heemstede</span>

De Naald is a monument in Heemstede, Netherlands, erected in 1817 by the city council to commemorate two battles on the Manpad road running next to the site. The site is at the corner of the Manpad, and Herenweg, on property belonging to the estate 'Huis te Manpad'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haarlemmertrekvaart</span>

The Haarlemmertrekvaart [ˌhaːrlɛmərˈtrɛkfaːrt] is a canal between Amsterdam and Haarlem in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. It was dug in 1631, making it the oldest tow-canal in Holland. Travel on such canals was historically done by barges which were towed by animals on a path along the canal's edge (towpath).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jan Hope</span> Anglo-Dutch merchant and banker (1737–1784)

John Hope, also known as Jan Hope, was a wealthy Dutch banker, participating in Hope & Co., a member of the city council and an art collector. In 1770 he was appointed as manager of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He is also known today for his Groenendaal Park in Heemstede, where he summered on his estate. Shortly before he died he bought the nearby "Bosbeek". This estate became one of the first examples of a large garden in the 'English Style' in the Netherlands, and shaped by his second son Adrian Elias. His oldest son Thomas Hope became a designer of neoclassical interior decoration, and his youngest son Henry Philip Hope a gem collector and jewelry specialist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duin- en Bollenstreek</span>

The Duin- en Bollenstreek is a region in the Western Netherlands, that features coastal dunes and the cultivation of flower bulbs. Situated at the heart of historical Holland nearby the city of Leiden, South Holland, it is bordered by The Hague to the west and Haarlem to the north. The combination of beaches, flower fields, lakes and history makes this area attractive to tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flower bulb cultivation in the Netherlands</span>

Flower bulb cultivation is an economic activity in the provinces of North Holland, South Holland and Flevoland. The colourful flower fields that have come to symbolise Holland can be seen in these areas around April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heemstede-Aerdenhout railway station</span> Railway station in the Netherlands

Heemstede-Aerdenhout is a railway station in Heemstede and Aerdenhout, 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 Lijn closely. The train soon became the favored method of travel after the station opened, and the canal has gone out of use since the end of the second world war. The current station building was opened in 1958 and was one of the first Dutch viaduct stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway</span> Railway line in the Netherlands

The railway from Amsterdam through Haarlem to Rotterdam runs from Amsterdam Centraal to Rotterdam Centraal through Haarlem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huis te Manpad</span>

The Huis te Manpad is an historical villa and former summer home of Jacob van Lennep in Heemstede, the Netherlands; bordered by the Leidsevaart canal, the Manpadslaan, and the Herenweg. It neighbors the estate of Hartekamp, famed for the gardens described by Carl Linnaeus. Both estates still have trees and other flora dating from that period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iepenrode</span> Villa in the Netherlands

Iepenrode, or Ipenrode, is the name of a villa in Heemstede, the Netherlands, between the Leidsevaart and Herenweg, located north of Huis te Manpad and south of Berkenrode. It was once the summer home of various mayors (burgemeesters) of Haarlem and is currently privately owned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Coymans</span> Dutch businessman

Joseph Coymans, was a Dutch businessman in Haarlem, known best today for his portrait painted by Frans Hals, and its pendant, Portrait of Dorothea Berck. The former resides at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, the latter at the Baltimore Museum of Art. A portrait of the couple's son Willem is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

<i>Haerlempjes</i> Genre of landscape painting

Haerlempjes refer to a specific genre of landscape painting that includes a view of Haarlem. It is used most often to refer to Jacob van Ruisdael's panoramic views of the city, but the term is derived from mentions in Haarlem archives as a type of painting included in household inventories. The diminutive suffix "pje" would denote a small, cabinet-sized painting, but even the largest landscapes may be referred to as Haerlempjes today.

Jan Gaykema Jacobsz. was a Dutch painter, draughtsman and botanical illustrator.

References

  1. Full text of "Inventaris van het archief der stad Haarlem" 639. A°. 1657. Opdragtbrieven aan de stad Haarlem van landen onder Heemstede, Berkenrode, Noordwijkerhout en Hillegom, gebruikt bij het graven der Leidsche trekvaart...1074. A°. 1656 en 1657. Bestekken van aanbesteding voor het graven der vaart en het aanleggen van den weg.
  2. Full text of "Inventaris van het archief der stad Haarlem" 640. II Oct. 1657. Acte van Jac. van Wassenaer, heer van Warmond, over het leggen van de brug bij het Warmonderhek...642. A°. 1659. Opdragtbrieven aan de stad Haarlem van lan- den, gebruikt tot het graven van de Leidsche trekvaart...1067. A°. 1657 — 1740. Stukken over de visscherij in de Leidsche trekvaart...1071. Memoriaal rakende eenige gehouden besoignes met de Heren van Leiden, tot het maken van de nieuwe trekvaart; begonnen 16 Aug. 1655 en eindigende Junij 1656...1078. A°, 1657 — 1795. Rekeningen der trekvaart, (Haarlemse zijde).