Haarlem, Netherlands

On the banks of the Spaarne River lies the pre-medieval city of Haarlem. Conveniently located only 12mi (20km) west of Amsterdam and 4mi (7km) east of the North Sea beaches, the city affectionately known as ‘Bloemenstead’ (flower city) is the centre of the tulip bulb-growing industry. 

First mentioned in the 10th century, Haarlem gained city status in 1245AD and became a walled city in 1270AD. Throughout the centuries, the city has been ravaged by the Black Death (plague) twice; constant fires breaking out burning down numerous buildings; besieged by the Spanish Army during the Eighty Years’ War; and was at the epicentre of the 17th century tulip bulb trading collapse, aka Tulipmania, a time when the cost of a single tulip bulb could trade for ten times the annual salary of a skilled worker.  

Yet Haarlem was a major economic hub and the second largest city during the Middle Ages. Due to its geographical location the city was a halfway point on a busy route from Leiden down south to Alkmaar up north. It helped the city grow quickly and industries such as printing, textiles, cotton mills and breweries operated from Haarlem at some point during its long history. Being located on the Spaarne, the city greatly benefited from charging a toll from passing ships and building its own shipyards. The city is also the location for the first tow-canal (animals or man-power towing a barge/boat on a path on the canal’s edge), first railway line and first electric tram in the Netherlands.  

Haarlem was a flourishing and wealthy city but by the end of WWII many of the industries had moved to Amsterdam turning a trading city into a commuter town. 

Although Haarlem is no longer the once vibrant trading city, it is, however, the starting point for the popular Bloemen Route (Flower Route). For 41mi (66km), the route passes large tulip fields which when in bloom it showcases a kaleidoscope of colour. Tulip season is in spring starting late March for early bloomers and lasts about eight weeks. The month of April is when they are at their best. 

The Flower Route though is not just about tulips. Whilst they may be the highlight and synonymous with Netherlands the route begins displaying its colours much earlier in the year when the gorgeous yellow daffodils and purple crocuses appear as the first bloomers between February and March. It is then followed by the second blooming period, end of March to April, with the highly fragrant but short-lived hyacinths in a splash of purple, pink, white and blue. The final blooming period has the revered tulip in a wide array of solid colours such as yellow, red and purple mixed in with variegated varieties. When all the spring flowers have passed, the Dahlias make an appearance in late summer from mid-August to mid-October. 

My journey started on Melkbrug, a pedestrian bridge crossing river Spaarne. Taking in the views of the river with its street-lined properties I headed south weaving past two museums: Museum Haarlem telling the history of the city and Frans Hals Museum, a small gallery showcasing Dutch master paintings amongst other artworks, and headed out onto the N208, the tulip fields road. 

As I travel along, I ponder the history of the tulip and how it became an icon of the Netherlands and a treasure of the Ottoman Empire. This vibrant flower originally grew wild in the valleys of Tian Shan Mountains, China. First cultivated around 1000AD in Persia (present day Iran), the flower made its way into the courts of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople by the 16th century. Quickly becoming a favourite the tulip was extensively planted in the Ottoman gardens, used to decorate tiles, embroidered on garments worn under battle armour as a kind of talisman and soon found on carpets and other textiles. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (reign 1520-66) loved tulips so much that his clothing was heavily embroidered with this delicate flower whilst noblemen decorated their turban with a single tulip. 

Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq (b.1522-d.1592) was an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and a keen gardener. He is credited for introducing the tulip to western Europe by bringing them from Constantinople to Vienna. Carolus Clusius, was a gardener in the employ of the Austrian Emperor at the time and Busbecq, his friend, gave him several tulips for the gardens. When relieved of his position by the newly ascended Emperor, Clusius took the bulbs to Frankfurt and then Leiden in Netherlands where through tender care and cultivation the tulip blossomed into a multi-billion euros industry.