A former resident of Harlem, New York, explores the original Haarlem.
Haarlem, the Netherlands, is part of the Amsterdam metropolitan area since its only about 12 mi (19 km) from Amsterdam. Haarlem has been a bedroom city since the 18th century. It’s historic center hasn’t changed much since the 19th century, making it a wonderful place to wander.
Wandering Jana There are still some old grand train stations around the Netherlands.
Wandering Jana Haarlem’s is a bit extra.
Wandering Jana Haarlem doesn’t have as many other canals as cities like Amsterdam and Leiden, but the ones they have are still adorable.
Wandering Jana Didn’t take me long to find a windmill, the 18th century Molen De Adriaan.
Wandering Jana Horrible picture but this is an old prison turned into a multi-use building.
Wandering Jana The interior of the Koepelgevangenis is a bit insane. It’s name means “dome prison” in Dutch. I guess that name fits.
Wandering Jana The former cells have been turned into offices and such.
Wandering Jana Amsterdamse Poort, the only original gate left from the city walls.
Wandering Jana A canal/sail boat.
Wandering Jana The River Spaarne makes the largest canal through the historic center. It’s hard to tell sometimes whether a canal is just a canal or an actual river.
Wandering Jana The building with the statue on top is the Teylers Museum, the oldest museum in the Netherlands. I will be returning later in the day.
Wandering Jana I will never not be obsessed with the houses that look like this.
Wandering Jana Yep, still obsessed.
Wandering Jana Cute street.
Wandering Jana St. Bavo’s Church, the largest church in town.
Wandering Jana That building is amazing.
Wandering Jana St. Bavo’s from the front. While I was touring the church, a random rain shower popped up. It went back to being sunny shortly there after.
Wandering Jana Now for the interior. Typical for a large Dutch church, there are box seating and a pulpit in the center of the seating area.
Wandering Jana Dutch protestant churches tend to be fairly plain even if they were formerly a Catholic church. The organs are, however, so ridiculous that they look out of place. This one was the largest organ in the world when it was finished in the 18th century. Mozart played it when he was only 10 years old.
Wandering Jana A very fancy rood screen.
Wandering Jana I have no idea what is going on here.
Wandering Jana The floor is also full of ledger stones (gravestones). This one only has a shoe on it for some reason.
Wandering Jana Back outside to the Grote Markt.
Wandering Jana I ended up in a neighborhood area. It was pretty peaceful.
Wandering Jana Very similar to other buildings from the 17th century in Amsterdam.
Wandering Jana Adorable.
Wandering Jana Business area.
Wandering Jana Simple but adorable town homes.
Wandering Jana I love that the trees are still there.
Wandering Jana The residents turned their narrow street into a garden.
Wandering Jana Love these.
Back at the Teylers Museum. It was founded in 1778, and built behind the namesakes house, Pieter Teyler. Today the museum has fossils and scientific equipment in the museum section. The area that was once a house has more art.
Wandering Jana How collectors and early museums displayed their fossil collections.
Wandering Jana The next two rooms have scientific collections.
Wandering Jana The Oval Room from 1784. This was the original part of museum. There is a mineral collection in the cases in the center. A library was constructed on the second floor.
Wandering Jana Art galleries were added in the 19th century.
Wandering Jana Teyler’s house has been incorporated into the museum. Artifacts and art are displayed throughout.
Wandering Jana The house’s front door was the only way to get to the museum until a new entrance was constructed in 1885.
Wandering Jana I love this staircase.
Haarlem is much chiller than New York’s version. Even with that, Haarlem has an insane amount of museums to choose from. The city is a great place to wander around as well. All and all, Haarlem is a great place to visit, and a lot cheaper than Amsterdam.
Check out my next update where I explore Delft, a city known for its ceramics!
or
Start at the beginning of this European adventure!
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