Lisse

Lisse
Municipality
Road through Lisse
Flag Coat of arms
Location in South Holland
Coordinates: 52°15′N 4°33′E / 52.250°N 4.550°E / 52.250; 4.550Coordinates: 52°15′N 4°33′E / 52.250°N 4.550°E / 52.250; 4.550
Country	Netherlands
Province	South Holland
Government
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Lies Spruit (PvdA)
Area
• Total	16.05 km2 (6.20 sq mi)
• Land	15.69 km2 (6.06 sq mi)
• Water	0.36 km2 (0.14 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population (May 2014)
• Total	22,400
• Density	1,428/km2 (3,700/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Lissenaar, Lissenees or Lisser
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode	2160–2163
Area code	0252
Website	www.lisse.nl

Lisse ( pronunciation ) is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 16.05 km² (6.20 sq mi) of which 0.36 km² (0.14 sq mi) is water. Its population was 22,400 in 2014. Located within the municipal boundary is also the community De Engel.

The history of Lisse is closely related and similar to the neighboring towns of Hillegom and Sassenheim. Based on a document from 1198 which makes official mention of the town's name, Lisse celebrated its 800-year anniversary in 1998, although there is an indication that there was already a settlement there in the 10th century.

In the Middle Ages, Lisse was a small settlement; there were only 50 houses in 1500. Because of prolonged warfare (particularly the wars of Charles the Bold and the Eighty Years' War), poverty was prevalent. Its population lived from agriculture, animal husbandry, and peat harvesting.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, Lisse was, like Hillegom, home to many estates of rich merchants and nobility. The forests and gardens of the Keukenhof, Meerenburg, Wildlust, Zandvliet, Overduin en Akervoorde, Wassergeest, Grotenhof, Ter Specke, Dubbelhoven, Rosendaal, Veenenburg en Berkhout, Middelburg, Ter Beek, and Uytermeer estates all added to the town's beauty and glory.