Purmerend
| Purmerend | |||
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| Municipality | |||
Purmerend city centre
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.svg) Location in North Holland |
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| Coordinates: 52°30′N 4°57′E / 52.500°N 4.950°ECoordinates: 52°30′N 4°57′E / 52.500°N 4.950°E | |||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | North Holland | ||
| Government | |||
| • Body | Municipal council | ||
| • Mayor | Don Bijl (VVD) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 24.56 km2 (9.48 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 23.39 km2 (9.03 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 1.17 km2 (0.45 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | ||
| Population (May 2014) | |||
| • Total | 79,532 | ||
| • Density | 3,400/km2 (9,000/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Purmerender | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postcode | 1440–1448 | ||
| Area code | 0299 | ||
| Website | www |
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Purmerend (
pronunciation ) is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the trade center of the region but the population grew relatively slowly. Only after 1960 did the population start to grow from around 10,000 to around 80,000 by the 2010s. From the 1960s onwards, Purmerend has seen major expansion and continues to do so. This expansion has turned Purmerend into a commuter town; many inhabitants of Purmerend (14,200 in 2011), work, go to school or spend their leisure time in Amsterdam. Purmerend is part of the Randstad, one of the largest conurbations in Europe.
Purmerend was created out of the small fishing village Purmer, which was situated on the land between the Purmermeer (Purmer Lake), the Beemstermeer (Beemster Lake) and the Wormermeer (Wormer Lake) on the south bank of the river De Weere, which used to connect the former Purmermeer and Beemstermeer.
Purmerend was founded by a rich banker from Amsterdam, Willem Eggert. HRH Count William VI of Holland (Willem VI van Holland) gave him permission to build his own fortified castle, Slot Purmerstein, in 1410. The castle's construction was completed in 1413 and it remained standing until it was demolished in 1741 after it had fallen into decline. In 1434 Purmerend was given city rights and on 21 April 1484 (some sources claim 14 April 1484) the city was given “marktrechten” (the right to organise two “jaarmarkten” annual markets and a “weekmarkt” weekly market) by Count Jan van Egmond. This meant merchants from outside of Purmerend could now offer their merchandise for sale on the market. Before 1484 only food products for its own population were allowed to be sold.
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