Nature & Countryside
Along with its lovely recreational areas and numerous water features, Haarlemmermeer boasts splendid gardens and a stunning country estate. The following are sites you simply should not miss: De Heimanshof, exceptional churchyard gardens, and the country estate known as Landgoed De Olmenhorst.
The best produce naturally comes from the soil we till ourselves. Haarlemmermeer boasts numerous varieties of local produce. The tastiest dairy products, the juiciest fruit, the most appealing vegetables and the best quality meat all take the shortest possible route from the fields to the consumer here. The estate known as Landgoed De Olmenhorst and the Elisabeth Hoeve farmstead are two wonderful examples and worth visiting.
Estate De Olmenhorst
This country estate’s fruit blossom is an overwhelming spectacle in spring. In the autumn, however, visitors have the opportunity to pick their own apples and pears, which is a highly popular day out for school trips and families with children! It gives you the chance to taste just how well fruit flourishes in the rich clay soil of the Haarlemmermeer polder.
Van Wees cheese
If you enjoy top-quality cheese, then you simply have to visit the dairy farm run by Kees and Ellie van Wees. This husband and wife team won the Jan den Besten Trophy for the Netherlands’ tastiest farmhouse cheese for the second time in 2005!
Big Spotters Hill
Groene Weelde comprises numerous man-made water features. The soil excavated for this purpose was used to create Big Spotters Hill. This earthen pyramid was the vantage point of the Floriade World Horticultural Expo in 2002. The former Floriade site has since been linked to Groene Weelde and Haarlemmermeerse Bos to form a single area.
Churchyard garden of the Parish of St John the Baptist
Behind the church of the Roman Catholic Parish of St John the Baptist (‘R.K. parochie H. Joannes de Doper’ in Dutch) lies a garden covering an area of some 1.2 hectares. Numerous varieties of herbs, plants and trees referred to in the Bible also grow there.
Elisabeth Hoeve
This a farmstead with its own shop, which sells various products (potatoes, sugar beet) which also offers access to the ‘Elisabeth Route’, a footpath connecting various farms. School trips are also welcome.
Groene Weelde
Groene Weelde is a recreational area situated between Hoofddorp, Cruquius and Vijfhuizen. It has a highly variegated landscape, featuring woodland, water features and broad watercourses with naturally formed banks. The recreational area is connected to the parkland site known as Haarlemmermeerse Bos, while it also encompasses the former site of the Floriade exhibition, including Big Spotters Hill.
Recreational green areas
In addition to housing and employment, it is vital that Haarlemmermeer provide recreational amenities for both its residents and visitors. Haarlemmermeer therefore offers appealing opportunities for rest and relaxation in the countryside. It boasts a considerable number of recreational areas, some still under development, such as PARK21 and Geniepark which are ideal venues for a day trip in the country air. Cycling, rambling, riding, canoeing, surfing, angling, swimming… Haarlemmermeer has it all!