
Festive food deliveries in Haarlem: order a tasty New Year treat!
The period between Christmas and New Year can be a hazy, lazy time and it is understandable if you don’t fancy cooking for yourself. After such a hard time for the horeca industry, it can be a good idea to support our favourite restaurants…

Writing Christmas cards to Haarlem's elderly residents
It’s the festive season and a perfect time to do a good deed for fellow residents in the city, right? How about penning a little message on a Christmas card as a surprise for someone who might not otherwise receive any Christmas mail? It could…

Sinterklaas versus Santa Claus
They both work in the same sector, wear red, and have a big white beard. For Piet's sake: what's the difference?
The Big Day
Sinterklaas: Sinterklaas' "heerlijk avondje" / delicious is 5 December, although Sint arrives with a steamer…

Choosing a primary school in Haarlem
The process of picking the perfect primary school starts a long time before your child actually heads off for their first day. In the Netherlands, kids start school shortly after turning 4-years old and the application deadline will be 12 months…

Sint Maarten 2020 in Haarlem
Every year, children sing songs at the door during Sint Maarten on 11 November. This could increase the chance of coronavirus spreading, though the chances are reduced when everyone is careful and follows the guidelines. The celebration can…

House hunting tips: buying a home in Haarlem
Buying a home in Haarlem can be exciting but also incredibly stressful. Transitioning from ‘huur’ to ‘koop’ on the Funda.nl search map is a big thing – and then you have to dive into the whole buying process. There are certainly a…

Haarlem: 775 years!
On 23 November, in the year 1245, Haarlem received city rights from Count Willem II. That means that this month marks exactly 775 years since Haarlem could call itself a city. The festivities that were planned had to be curtailed due to the…

Coronavirus in Haarlem: latest numbers from the RIVM
The total number of Haarlem residents that tested positive for coronavirus over the last week was 553. The figures were announced in the new weekly update from the RIVM. A total of 67,542 Dutch people received confirmation that they are infected…

Kids who give a helping hand to be honoured: call for nominations!
Haarlem’s very own children’s mayor, Quinten de Lange, is calling for nominations from the city’s residents to nominate Haarlemmers aged between 4 and 12 years for the chance to be rewarded for acts of kindness or dedication they have…

Major job losses imminent at Schiphol due to coronavirus crisis
Due to the coronavirus crisis, about half of the jobs at and around Schiphol are at risk of disappearing in the short term, the NOS national news website reports.
There are about 35,000 job at Schiphol, says the FNV trade union. In addition,…

Fireworks exploded in Haarlem house
During the early hours of Wednesday 14 October, there was an incident at a house on the Prins Bernhardlaan in Haarlem caused by fireworks exploding after being thrown through the window. It is the third time in a few days that the house has…

Rental apartment: Byzantiumstraat 17 in Haarlem
Luxurious and fully modernized "newly-built" apartments located within walking distance of the pleasant city center of Haarlem. Now for rent.

Green-roofed bus shelters in Haarlem
Two bus shelters at the Verwulft in Haarlem have gone 'green'. Since 7 September, the bus shelters have been installed with eco-roofs and are topped with plants. Residents of the surrounding houses can now look out onto a mini garden. The plants…

Local initiatives to combat food waste
Every year, we throw away 34 kilos of food per person. This shocking statistic raises the question: what can we do about this? Haarlem Food Future is committed to combating food waste, for example with the 'Doggy Bag' scheme and providing inspiration…

Haarlem’s black and red house numbers
Encountering a new city for the first time can be confusing at times and finding your way around can throw up challenges when you least expect it. How about when you are looking for somewhere to live and you go to a house viewing, only to be…

Body found in the Spaarne near Catharijnebrug in Haarlem
A body was found in Haarlem on Saturday afternoon in the Spaarne near the Catharijnebrug. It concerns a 35-year-old man from Haarlem.
At around 14:30 on Saturday 29 August, passers-by discovered the body and alerted the police.
The…

HEMA leaves Kruisstraat for good and moves to former Hudson's Bay in Verwulft
On 5 September, the HEMA store on the Kruisstraat will close its doors for good. The entire contents and all the staff will move from Kruisstraat to the former V&D and later Hudson's Bay building on Verwulft. The new store opens on 14 September.
It…

Dutch CoronaMelder coronavirus app to feature multiple languages
The CoronaMelder coronavirus app is in an advanced stage of development. CoronaMelder is currently being trialled in several regions in the Netherlands and will offer multiple language options, including English, German, Polish and Turkish,…

Concerns about coronavirus measures at Beverwijk Bazaar
The Veiligheidsregio Kennemerland (Kennemerland Region Security Organisation) has decided to close three halls that are part of the Beverwijk Bazaar, Hall 30 to Hall 33, for two weeks. However, Bazaar Beverwijk entrepreneurs refuse to close…

Summer ice skating causes environmental concerns
Friends of the Earth Netherlands called on the municipality of Haarlem to close the rink as soon as possible and let the ice melt.
It sounded like a charming idea. Enjoy skating in the summer, on the semi-covered ice rink in Haarlem. However,…

You won't believe it: the rent in Haarlem drops
It is hard to believe, but it is true: the rent per square metre in the free sector fell in Haarlem in the second quarter of this year, according to figures from NVM Makelaars.
Earlier this year, all the way back in February, the average…

Haarlem Jazz Sit-Down Edition: thermometers, hand gel and long rows of chairs
Thermometers, hand gel, ordering by phone and long rows of chairs: this is what the sit-down edition of Haarlem Jazz & More looks like this year.
Haarlem Jazz & More is a unique multi-day event in the old town of Haarlem. Due…

New store in Haarlem gives a ‘sense of place’ to great tasting wine!
After Markus Praat spent 6 months managing a wine store in Brooklyn, he decided to bring some Brooklyn air back to Haarlem. Now, he has opened a new, truly cosy and welcoming wine store that does things differently: selling honest products in…

Schools start again in North Holland
The primary schools will start again on Monday 17 August. This means that many children go to school by bicycle and on foot.
Coinciding with the opening of primary schools after the summer break, the Veilig Verkeer Nederland (VVN) (National…

Testing centre at Schiphol Airport open from this week
A testing centre at Schiphol Airport opened on Friday 14 August. This is where travellers returning from high-risk areas can get themselves tested. Read about what that involves.
By getting yourself tested for COVID-19 at Schiphol,…

Face masks mandatory in parts of Amsterdam
Since Wednesday 5 August, it has been mandatory for anyone the age of 13 and above to wear a non-medical face mask in parts of Amsterdam city centre. These designated areas have been selected due to there being limited space and where it…

Haarlem porn house unsaleable
The kinky apartment on Gedempte Raamgracht in Haarlem, where artist Willemijn de Lint took care of the interior, turns out to be unsaleable. So she decided to paint everything white.
The apartment, with jacuzzi, triple bed and hooks in…

End of heat in sight: showers and thunderstorms and cooler weekend
In a few days, the heatwave that the whole country has been dealing with for a week will end. According to KNMI, after some thunderstorms and rain showers, it will be 'only' 25-28 degrees from Friday.
Today was another hot day in the…

Lake swimming: Haarlem’s natural watering holes
When the temperatures soar, what a better way to keep cool than going for a swim surrounded by nature? Haarlem has lots of natural swimming spots nearby where you can take a dip. with Which lakes are you permitted to swim in though? We share…

Car vandalism in the Vijfhoek
Last Friday morning my car was damaged in de Vijfhoek. The perpetrator has fled. Local residents say that trucks very regularly do not easily make the bend in the Gedempte Raamgracht, damage a car and flee. The Municipality of Haarlem and the…