Leidsevaart

Last updated
Leidsevaart near Hillegom. Leidsevaart-bollentocht2007.jpg
Leidsevaart near Hillegom.

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

Haarlem City and municipality 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 most populated metropolitan areas in Europe; it is also part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Haarlem had a population of 161,265 in 2019.

Heemstede Municipality in North Holland, Netherlands

Heemstede is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the fourth richest municipality of the Netherlands.

Hillegom 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.

Voorhout Place in South Holland, Netherlands

Voorhout is a village and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covered an area of 12.59 km2 of which 0.33 km2 is covered by water, and had a population of 14,792 in 2004. Together with Sassenheim and Warmond, it became part of the Teylingen municipality on January 1, 2006. Voorhout is located in an area called the "Dune and Bulb Region".

Witte van Haemstede

Witte van Haemstede (1280/1282–1321) was a bastard son of Floris V, Count of Holland. His half-brother John I, Count of Holland, gave him the property of Haamstede, in Southern Holland. He married Agnes van der Sluys, sometime before 1307. Their descendants were the Lords of Haamstede.

Buitenplaats

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.

Berkenrode

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.

Trekschuit

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.

De Naald, Heemstede

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'.

Haarlemmertrekvaart

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).

Samuel Ampzing

Samuel Ampzing was a Dutch minister, poet and purist.

Jan Hope Anglo-Dutch merchant and banker

John Hope, also known as Jan Hope, was a Dutch banker, the son of Thomas Hope and Margaretha Marcelis. A first cousin of Henry Hope, he was father of Thomas Hope, and a follower of the Scottish Enlightenment. He is best known today for his Groenendaal Park in Heemstede, Netherlands, where he summered from 1767 to his death in 1784.

Flower bulb cultivation in the Netherlands

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.

Heemstede-Aerdenhout railway station

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.

Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway

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

Huis te Manpad

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.

Sara Rothé

Sara Rothé (1699–1751) was an 18th-century art collector from the Northern Netherlands, known today as the former owner of two dollhouses now on display in the Frans Hals Museum and the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag.

Iepenrode 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.

<i>Haerlempjes</i>

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.

Passchier de Fijne Dutch pastor & writer

Passchier de Fijne was a Netherlands pastor and writer. He was one of the first pastors of the Remonstrant Brotherhood. Because of his forbidden preaching on the ice of the river Gouwe at Gouda he was also called "the kingfisher".

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).

Coordinates: 52°16′50″N4°35′19″E / 52.2805°N 4.5887°E / 52.2805; 4.5887