Leidsevaart

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 railroad mirrored the toll bridges of the canal.

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

History

The Leidsevaart was the extension of the "Haarlemmertrekvaart" (Haarlem's Pull-Canal) connecting Amsterdam to Haarlem. Travel on these canals was done by barge ("trekschuit") which were pulled by animals (and sometimes by man-power) on a path 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.

Because of its many non-operable bridges along its course, the Leidsevaart is unsuitable for boat traffic nowadays and therefore has fallen mostly in disuse.

Estates along the Leidsevaart

* Oud Poelgeest, home to Herman Boerhaave
* Keukenhof, former estate and scene of a yearly flower show in the Netherlands
* Huis te Vogelenzang (reachable via a rather long canal spur that continued straight when the canal approached Heemstede
* The Hartekamp, home to George Clifford and famous for Linnaeus' " Hortus Cliffortianus'
* Huis te Manpad, at the corner of the Manpadslaan and located at the toll bridge to Heemstede
* Leyduin, across from the Manpad
* Meer en Berg, at the end of the Manpad on the East side (now part of Groenendaal park)
* Iepenrode, across from Groenendaal (now part of Groenendaal park)
* Berkenrode, across from the Haarlem toll bridge (now site of the train station Heemstede-Aerdenhout)
* Alverna, across from Berkenrode


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Leidsevaart — Bauurkunde vom 26. Februar 1657 Leidsevaa …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Haarlem — Infobox Settlement official name = Haarlem nickname = Bloemenstad (Dutch for flower city) motto = Vicit vim virtus (Latin for Virtue conquered force) imagesize = 230px image caption = flag size = 120x100px image shield = Haarlem wapen.svg shield… …   Wikipedia

  • De Naald, Heemstede — Inscription on monument De Naald , Heemstede De Naald (th …   Wikipedia

  • Hillegom — Infobox Settlement official name = Hillegom imagesize = 220px image caption = Town Hall Het Hof flag size = 120x100px image shield = Wapen hillegom.jpg shield size = 120x100px mapsize = 280px subdivision type = Country subdivision name =… …   Wikipedia

  • Berkenrode — is a former village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is first mentioned as a Heerlijkheid in 1284, though first mention of a castle is found much later in 1466, the van Berkenrodes preferring to live on the Grote Markt in Haarlem. It is …   Wikipedia

  • Halfweg (disambiguation) — Halfweg (Dutch for halfway ) is the name of several villages in the Netherlands:* Halfweg, North Holland, located on the Haarlemmertrekvaart halfway between Amsterdam and Haarlem * Halfweg (Beemster), North Holland * Halfweg (Overijssel) *… …   Wikipedia

  • Haarlemmertrekvaart — The Haarlemmertrekvaart (Haarlem s Tow Canal) 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… …   Wikipedia

  • Jan Hope — John Hope (14 February 1737, Amsterdam 1784), also known as Jan Hope, was the son of Thomas Hope and Margaretha Marcelis, first cousin of Henry Hope, father of Thomas Hope, and a follower of the Scottish Enlightenment, who is best known today for …   Wikipedia

  • Spaarne — Verlauf der Spaarne Daten Gewässerkennzahl …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Liste Des Canaux Des Pays-Bas — Cet article liste les canaux des Pays Bas. Canal de l Aar (Aarkanaal) Aduarderdiep Canal de l Amstel au Drecht (Amstel Drechtkanaal) Canal d Amsterdam au Rhin (Amsterdam Rijnkanaal) Canal d Almelo à De Haandrik (Kanaal Almelo De Haandrik) Canal d …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”