Visit to Holland and buy SouvenirsPurmerend is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Since the early 1960's, Purmerend has encountered its biggest transformation: in 1955 it had less than 10.000 inhabitants, now the count exceeds 75.000. A lot of the new citizens have migrated from the nearest capital of Amsterdam. Reasons for this migration were obvious: many were looking for a more spacious and comfortable place to live near Amsterdam, and for a better and safer location to raise their children. To accommodate them, Purmerend has built several new areas around the historic town center. The last development, 'Weidevenne', is still in progress.
In the thirteenth and fourteenth century, Purmerend used to be a small fishing-village amidst rural surroundings abundant of water.
This changed in the years to come. In 1410 Purmerend was given municipal rights and in 1484 it gained market privileges. After the reclamation of the surrounding lakes Purmer, Beemster and Wormer in the seventeenth century, Purmerend became important as a market and trading town. For several smaller communities around it, the city of Purmerend has been a social meeting point throughout history and the centre of agricultural trade. Between 1572 and 1645, the population multiplied by a factor five. In this period, ramparts and canals were created and the small rural village evolved into a town.
The city centre as we know it today was formed in this era. In 1824 the Noord-Hollands Kanaal was opened (on the West Side of Purmerend), providing the possibility for ships to sail from Amsterdam to the north of the province.
Urban development
In the 1950s, Purmerend received the assignment by the government order to build a certain number of houses to accommodate people from Amsterdam (new town assignment).
Around 1995 the term new town assignment changed into VINEX-assignment (assignment according the extra 4th Bill Housing planning). This resulted in creating 6.500 new houses in the development 'Weidevenne'. 5.400 of the houses concerned have already been built. Final realization of the VINEX-assignment will be in 2008.
On January 1st 2005 the number of houses in Purmerend was 32.275. It's expected to be 35.107 in the year 2010.
The infrastructure around Purmerend includes a four-lane freeway stretching from Amsterdam to Leeuwarden. The facilities for public transportation are quite extraordinary, especially to and from Amsterdam. Many bus routes to Amsterdam use separated bus lanes. Every single working day, these buses carry over 20.000 commuters and other civilians to (the center of) Amsterdam.
Purmerend also has a direct railroad connection to Amsterdam, carrying another 6.000 of Purmerend's citizens a day. At this moment Purmerend has two railway stations. In 2006, a third railway station will be operational in the area of Weidevenne.
As mentioned before, Purmerend has a very 'green' character.
Along the eastern town border there's the 'Purmerbos'. It is a park covering 700 acres.
Close to the town center, is Leeghwaterpark, covering about 100 acres. Besides those two, Purmerend has 7 smaller parks in all the different areas of the town.
On a cultural level, Purmerend has a theater "De Purmaryn" with a total capacity of 630 visitors. Purmerend also has a movie theater. The construction of a popular-cultural facility is in progress. It will be completed in the latter part of 2005.
Districts
Purmerend is made up of the following districts.
* Centrum ('het stadje')
* Zuiderpolder
* Overwhere-Noord
* Overwhere-Zuid
* De Gors
* De Gors-Zuid
* De Gors-Noord
* West
* Purmer-Zuid
* Purmer-Noord
* Wheermolen
* Weidevenne
* Baanstee-West
* Baanstee-Oost
* Baanstee-Noord
* De Koog
* Molenkoog
* Hazepolder
