Beemster (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbeːmstər]) was a former town in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland. The Beemster was the first polder in the Netherlands created by draining water from a lake. Windmills were used to remove the water between 1609 and 1612. The organized landscape of fields, roads, canals, and dikes has remained unchanged. A network of canals runs parallel to the roads in the Beemster. The larger canals are positioned about one kilometer away from the main roads.

Beemster joined the existing town of Purmerend on January 1, 2022.

History

Around 800 AD, the area now known as the modern municipality of Beemster was covered in peat. The name "Beemster" came from "Bamestra," the name of a small river in the region. Between 1150 and 1250, peat digging and storm floods made the small river bigger until it became a lake connected to the Zuiderzee. In 1605, private investors began draining the Beemster lake. By 1610, most of the lake had been drained, but it filled again due to a break in the Zuiderzee dikes. To prevent this, people built a ring-dike one meter higher than the surrounding land. In 1612, the polder was completely dry, and the land was divided among the investors. In the early years of the polder, farmers used the land to grow crops needed for long sea journeys by the VOC to the East Indies. The farmland was so productive that the project was considered an economic success, unlike other similar projects such as the Heerhugowaard. Since 1999, the entire Beemster polder has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The Beemster polder is home to CONO Kaasmakers, a company that makes the Beemster brand of cheeses. This cooperative was formed in 1901 to produce cheese using milk from the Beemster polder. Today, Beemster Cheese is sold in Europe, the United States, Canada, Japan, and China.

World Heritage Site

Because of its important history and because the original structure of the area is mostly still there, the Beemster was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1999. The reasons for its inclusion are as follows:

• (i): The Beemster Polder is an example of clever planning, where ideas from ancient times and the Renaissance were used to design a landscape that was turned from water into land.
• (ii): The creative and imaginative way the Beemster Polder was planned had a big and long-lasting effect on similar projects in Europe and other places.
• (iv): The creation of the Beemster Polder shows an important step in how people and water are connected during a time when society and the economy were growing.

Also, in the Beemster Polder, there are five fortresses that are part of the Stelling van Amsterdam, which is another UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Beemster Polder combines two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Local government

The municipal council of Beemster had 13 members. In the 2018 elections, these seats were split as follows:

The last mayor of Beemster was Joyce van Beek, who was part of the CDA party.

In November 2021, elections were held to choose a council for the new merged municipality of Purmerend, which includes Beemster. This new municipality began working in January 2022.

Notable people

• Carel Fabritius (born 1622 in Middenbeemster – died 1654) was a Dutch painter.
• Barent Fabritius (born 1624 in Middenbeemster – died 1673) was a Dutch painter.
• Johannes Fabritius (born 1636 – died around 1693) was a Dutch painter during the Dutch Golden Age.
• The Reverend Nanne Zwiep (born 1894 in Beemster – died 1942 in Dachau) was a pastor in the Dutch Reformed Church.
• Harry Droog (born 1944) was a retired Dutch rower who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics.
• Erik Postma (born 1953 – died 2002 in Middenbeemster) was a Dutch politician who served as Mayor of Beemster from 1998.

Gallery

• Water gate near Zuiddijk 14 in Beemster
• The Beemster gardener’s house, located in the Dutch Open Air Museum
• Beemster cheese
• Water gate near Volgerweg 20 in Beemster