Alkmaar

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.

Siege 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.

Since the French Revolutionary Wars

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 Alkmaar. In 1865 and 1867, the railways between Alkmaar and Den Helder and between Alkmaar and Haarlem were built respectively.

In the second half of the 20th century, Alkmaar expanded quickly with development of new neighbourhoods. On 1 October 1972, the town of Oudorp and the southern portions of Koedijk and Sint Pancras were added to the municipality of Alkmaar.

Administrative divisions

The municipality of Alkmaar historically consists of the following cities, towns, villages and districts: Alkmaar, Bergermeer, Daalmeer, De Hoef, De Horn, De Nollen, Het Rak, Huiswaard, Koedijk (southeastern part), Overdie, Oudorp and Omval. On 1 January 2015, the municipalities of Graft-De Rijp and Schermer were merged into Alkmaar. The historical village of De Rijp is thus since a part of Alkmaar.

These once separate villages are now all linked together by the suburban sprawl of buildings that arose between the late 1970s and early 1990s. During this time, the population of Alkmaar almost doubled.

Local government

The municipal council of Alkmaar consists of 39 seats, which are divided as follows after the 2026 elections.

GroenLinks/PvdA – 9 seats

D66 – 5 seats

BAS – 5 seats

VVD – 4 seats

OPA – 4 seats

FvD – 3 seats

CDA – 3 seats

Leefbaar Alkmaar – 2 seats

Partij voor de Dieren – 1 seat

Senior's Party of Alkmaar (Senioren Partij Alkmaar) – 1 seat

Status Quo – 1 seat

SP – 1 seat

Transport

The A9 motorway runs from Amsterdam to Alkmaar, then continues on to Den Helder as the N9.

There are direct trains to Den Helder, Hoorn, Zaandam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Ede, Arnhem, Nijmegen, 's-Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven, Maastricht and Haarlem. For exact details see Alkmaar railway station.

Alkmaar has two railway stations:

Alkmaar

Alkmaar Noord

The waterway Noordhollandsch Kanaal, which opened in 1824, runs through Alkmaar. As of 2017. it can be crossed (among other ways) using two of the five operating vlotbruggen, Koedijkervlotbrug and Rekervlotbrug.

Air travel is served by the nearest Schiphol Airport which is approximately 22 km south of Alkmaar. NS operates direct train services between Alkmaar and Schiphol.

Main sights

Alkmaar has many medieval buildings that are still intact, most notably the tall tower of the Grote or Sint-Laurenskerk, where many people from Alkmaar hold wedding ceremonies. The other main attraction, especially in the summer months, is Alkmaar's cheese market at the Waagplein, one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. The cheese market traditionally takes place from the first Friday in April through the first Friday in September. Every Friday morning (10:00–12:30) the Waagplein is the backdrop for this traditional cheese market. After the old-fashioned way of the hand clap, traders and carriers will weigh the cheeses. It is one of only four traditional Dutch cheese markets still in existence. The traditional fare of this cheese market is those cheeses made in the local area, as opposed to the well-known brands of Dutch cheeses, including the Edam and Gouda cheeses. It is not actually possible to buy cheese at the market itself, which is really only a demonstration of how this merchants' market operated in times gone by. However, the demonstration, which takes place in front of the medieval weighing house, is surrounded by many specialized stalls where it is possible to buy all kinds of cheese (and non-cheese) related products. The Waag is also home to the local tourist office and a cheese museum. Alkmaar has 399 registered rijksmonuments, of which most are situated along the city's old canals.

Alkmaar has two large theatres and a big cinema (which was originally two cinemas). A red light district is situated at the Achterdam, and Alkmaar has a nightlife scene as well which takes place in the pubs in front of the cheesemarket.

Museums

Beatles Museum – dedicated to The Beatles, as John Lennon's first guitar was made in Alkmaar

Holland Cheese Museum – located in the historic weigh house

National Beer Museum "De Boom"

Op ArtMuseum - closed since 2014

City Museum Alkmaar – for history of the city

Events

Alkmaar's largest annual event is Alkmaars Ontzet (8 October), which

commemorates the lifting of the 1573 siege. It begins on the night of

7 October with a lantern procession (lampionnenoptocht) of local

schoolchildren through the city centre, followed the next day by a

wreath-laying ceremony, an afternoon parade, and a communal

sauerkraut-and-sausage meal (zuurkoolmaaltijd).

Other recurring events include Kaeskoppenstad, a historical

reenactment festival recreating 16th-century city life, held each June

and drawing around 25,000 visitors over a weekend;

the Landbouw- en Lappendag (Agricultural and Cloth Market Day), held

annually in September and dating back over 120 years, combining

livestock displays and a regional produce market with a traditional

cloth and textiles market in the city centre;

and Alkmaar Pride, a nine-day Pride event which starts with a Pride Walk and ends with a canal parade, held at

the end of May.

Alkmaar also holds the Zomerkermis each August, an annual funfair

Sports

Alkmaar is home to the professional football team AZ (Alkmaar Zaanstreek). In 2006, the club moved to a new 17,000 capacity stadium, the DSB Stadion, now named the AFAS Stadion. In 2008–2009, AZ won the Eredivisie, the Dutch football league. It was the second league title for the club after the Eredivisie in 1980/81 with only one league defeat. Notable coaches include former FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman, and Netherlands national football team coach Louis van Gaal.

The city also has a velodrome where the Dutch national track cycling championships are held every year. The city hosted the 2019 European Road Championships.

Notable residents

Public service

Isaac Dorislaus (1595–1649), a Dutch Calvinist historian and lawyer

Jan Janse de Weltevree (born 1595), a Dutch sailor, the first Dutchman to visit Korea

Cornelis van der Lijn (1608–1679), Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1646-1650 and elected Mayor of Alkmaar in 1668

Bernard Nieuwentyt (1654–1718), a Dutch philosopher, mathematician, physician and magistrate

Anna Smitshuizen (1751–1775), the victim of a cause célèbre murder

Kees Boeke (1884–1966), a Dutch reformist educator, Quaker missionary and pacifist

Nicolette Bruining (1886–1963), a Dutch theologian, teacher and humanitarian in WWII

Geertruida Wijsmuller-Meijer (1896–1978), a resistance fighter, saved Jewish children

Cornelis Berkhouwer (1919–1992), politician, President of the European Parliament 1973-1975

Rudi Vis (1941–2010), British Labour politician, MP 1997 to 2010

Jaap Pop (1941–2026), a Dutch politician, Mayor of Alkmaar 1988-1995

Sybilla Dekker (born 1942), a retired Dutch politician and businesswoman

Ronald Bandell (1946–2015), a Dutch civil servant, politician and Mayor of Alkmaar 1995–2000

Jos Punt (born 1946), bishop in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam

The arts

Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher (1594–1649), poet and engraver

Pieter van Schaeyenborgh (1600–1657), painter known for pictures of fish; worked in Alkmaar from 1635

brothers Caesar van Everdingen (1616/7-1678) and Allaert van Everdingen (1621–1675) Dutch Golden Age painters

Emanuel de Witte (1617–1692), a Dutch perspective painter of genre paintings

Willem de Fesch (1687–1761), a virtuoso Dutch violone player and composer

Geertruida Bosboom-Toussaint (1812–1886) a Dutch novelist

Cécile de Jong van Beek en Donk (1866–1944) a Dutch feminist writer

Dirk Smorenberg (1883–1960), a Dutch Art Deco painter

Jan Wils (1891–1972), a Dutch architect and founding member of the De Stijl movement

Jan Gerrit van Gelder (1903–1980), a Dutch art historian

Ans Wortel (1929–1996), a Dutch painter, poet and writer

Rudi Carrell (1934–2006), entertainer, hosted his own TV show

Dan van der Vat (1939–2019), a journalist, writer and military historian

Angela Groothuizen (born 1959), a Dutch singer, artist and TV personality

Karin Bloemen (born 1960) is a Dutch actress and singer

Science and business

Petrus Forestus (1521–1597), a prominent physician of the Dutch Republic

Adriaan Anthonisz (1527–1607), a mathematician, surveyor, cartographer, military engineer and burgomaster of Alkmaar

Willem Blaeu (1571–1638), a Dutch cartographer, atlas maker and publisher

Adriaan Metius (1571–1635), a Dutch geometer and astronomer

Cornelis Drebbel (1572–1633), a Dutch engineer, in 1620 built the first navigable submarine

Jan Leeghwater (1575–1650), a Dutch architect, mill builder and hydraulic engineer

Joan Blaeu (1598–1673), a Dutch cartographer

Adriaan Reland (1676–1718), a Dutch Orientalist scholar and cartographer

Hendrik Willem Bakhuis Roozeboom (1854–1907), a Dutch chemist who studied phase behaviour in physical chemistry

Alfred Peet (1920–2007), founder of American coffee retailer Peet's Coffee

Jacob Gelt Dekker (1948–2019), a Dutch businessman, philanthropist and writer

Sport

Harm Ottenbros (1943–2022), a Dutch road bicycle racer, 1969 world champion

Dick Quax (1948–2018), a Dutch-born New Zealand long-distance runner

Hans Nijman (1959–2014), a Dutch former mixed martial artist and professional wrestler

Richard Goulooze (born 1967), a Dutch former professional footballer with 351 club caps

Michel Vonk (born 1968), a Dutch former professional footballer with 342 club caps

Jakko Jan Leeuwangh (born 1972), a former speed skater

Macha van der Vaart (born 1972), a Dutch field hockey player, team bronze and silver medallist at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics

Steven de Jongh (born 1973), a Dutch former road bicycle racer

brothers Yuri Cornelisse (born 1975) and Tim Cornelisse (born 1978), Dutch retired footballers with 371 and 445 club caps

Jochem Verberne (born 1978), rower, team silver medallist in the 2000 Summer Olympics

Maarten van der Weijden (born 1981), a Dutch long distance and marathon swimmer; Dutch Sportsman of the year 2008

Theo Bos (born 1983), a Dutch road and track cyclist

Wesley Harms (born 1984), a Dutch professional darts player

Gago Drago (born 1985), an Armenian-Dutch welterweight kickboxer

Twin towns—sister cities

Alkmaar is twinned with: