Beemster
Beemster (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbeːmstər] ⓘ) is a former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The Beemster is the first so-called polder in the Netherlands that was reclaimed from a lake, the water being extracted from the lake by windmills. The Beemster polder was drained between 1609 and 1612. It has preserved intact its well-ordered landscape of fields, roads, canals, dykes and settlements, laid out in accordance with classical and Renaissance planning principles. A grid of canals parallels the grid of roads in the Beemster. The grids are offset: the larger feeder canals are offset by approximately one kilometer from the larger roads.
Beemster | |
|---|---|
Former municipality | |
Middenbeemster town centre | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
Location of the former municipality of Beemster in North Holland | |
| Coordinates: 52°33′N 4°55′E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | North Holland |
| Municipality | Purmerend |
| Area | |
| • Total | 72.07 km2 (27.83 sq mi) |
| • Land | 70.58 km2 (27.25 sq mi) |
| • Water | 1.49 km2 (0.58 sq mi) |
| Elevation | −4 m (−13 ft) |
| Population (January 2021) | |
| • Total | 10,110 |
| • Density | 143/km2 (370/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 1460–1464 |
| Area code | 0299 |
| Website | www |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Droogmakerij de Beemster (Beemster Polder) |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iv |
| Reference | 899 |
| Inscription | 1999 (23rd Session) |
Beemster merged into the existing municipality of Purmerend on 1 January 2022.