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The Haarlemmer Houttuinen are located between Haarlemmerdijk and the railway. The entrance to the central station is hidden by the huge building De Droogbak. Around 1970, 700 rotten homes were demolished and a 27-meter-wide road was built. In the coming period, the municipality will make a continuous bike path from Central Station to Westerpark Park. It is faster and, moreover, Haarlemmerdijk, a busy city, is relieved.
Canal construction began in 1613, more than four hundred years ago. The first part took place all over the world, from Haarlemmerdijk to Leidsegracht. The main canals were elegant and well appointed. Jordan and the neighborhood around Haarlemmerdijk were in front of her. They were working class neighborhoods and very densely populated. The Haarlemmer Houttuinen were located at the edge of the water and were used for storing wood. On old maps and images, it was easy to see that there were many storage areas here.
First railway line of 1839
With the construction of the Westerdoksdijk in 1834 and later with the construction of the islands of the station, the water side was built. On the dyke, the train arrived in Haarlem in 1839, the first railway in the Netherlands. This has radically changed the neighborhood. The view of the water gave way to a view of the dike with the trains. The neighborhood was closed and began to rot more. It has become a somewhat hidden place of the city. When the trains blew across the tracks, the locals shook at home.
The houses were bad but the neighborhood was comfortable.
Large scale plans
In the 1950s, the municipality developed large-scale urban renewal plans. The center was to be accessible to the car by the construction of four-lane roads crossing the city. Volksbuurtten had to be demolished and replaced by new buildings. Former residents have been able to settle in new neighborhoods such as Nieuw-West with plenty of 'light, air and space'. They could also settle in growing places around the city, such as Purmerend and Hoofddorp. Prins Hendrikkade – Nassauplein was the first road project in 1955.
The old district gave way to a wide road. Right, the central station.
Love for Old Neighborhoods
The "Haarlemmer Houttuinen Breakthrough" began in 1969 and was completed in 1973. 700 houses were demolished. Amsterdam became a modern and functional metropolis. Also from the Amstel station, a large road leading to the Prins Hendrikkade was built via the Wibaut and the Weesperstraat. Only the social climate had changed in the sixties. In contrast to the municipality's "large-scale thinking" with the world-renowned public works department, "small scale" thinking was born with the human dimension. This happened at the time of provo and hippies.
There was a new appreciation for old romantic buildings and intimate neighborhoods. Many citizens of Amsterdam have strongly opposed the projects of the municipality, in what Geert Mak calls the "Twentieth War Cities". It lasted from about 1965 to 1985 and was a romantic counter-movement against the vision of the city as an economic machine. The "quality of life" was now paramount. This conflict was won on a small scale and the highway project along the Haarlemmer Houttuinen did not come. It would be part of a kind of ring road crossing the old town. The road eventually became narrower and is now more or less dead towards Haarlemmerplein. The initial plan has only been partially implemented.
Arm but warm
The Andere Tijden program produced a brilliant documentary on the demolition of the neighborhood. The original residents who had to move were interviewed. They say that the houses were bad, small, shabby, cold, without a shower. The tables, chairs and dishes were shaking as the train passed almost in front of their windows. Still, they have good memories of their old neighborhood. The family lived everywhere: grandparents, uncles, aunts, children. Laughing they tell about their past life. The existence was rather poor but very warm socially.
In consultation with the neighborhood, there was a new building of small size but somewhat lacking in character. Haarlemmer Houttuinen forms the outside of Haarlemmerbuurt, a lively and prosperous area. The municipality is now planning to easily connect the bike town to the Westerpark by rail. This relieves the busy Haarlemmerdijk. The bike path can be considered as the triumph of "small-scale thinking": instead of a highway running through the old town, there is a wide bike path.
The Haarlemmer Houttuinen with business sites the water as it once was. Photo of Jacob Olie
More
All of the pictures above are from the archival photo bank of the city.
The Haarlemmer Houttuinen Now
The Haarlemmer Houttuinen Later
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