About Netherlands

    The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland (help·info), IPA: [ˈne:dərlɑnt]) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba. The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy, located in Western Europe. It is bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.

     The Netherlands is often called Holland. This is formally incorrect as North and South Holland in the western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces (for more on this and other naming issues see Netherlands (terminology)).

     The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying and densely populated country. It is popularly known for its windmills, cheese, clogs (wooden shoes), delftware and gouda pottery, dikes, tulips, bicycles, and social tolerance. A Parliamentary democracy, the country is also known for its somewhat liberal policies toward drugs, prostitution, gay rights, abortion, and euthanasia.

    The Netherlands has an international outlook; among other affiliations the country is a member of the European Union (EU), NATO, the OECD, and has signed the Kyoto protocol. Along with Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands is also one of three member nations of the Benelux economic union. The country is host to four international courts: the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and the International Criminal Court. All of these courts, as well as the EU's criminal intelligence agency (Europol) are situated in The Hague, which has led to the city being referred to as "the world's legal capital."

About Haarlem

     Haarlem  is a city in the Netherlands. It is also the capital of the province of North Holland, which at one time was one of the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic. The city is located on the river Spaarne, about 20 km west of Amsterdam and near the coastal dunes. It has been the historical center of the tulip bulb-growing district for centuries and bears the nickname 'Bloemenstad' (flower city), for this reason.

     The municipality of Haarlem also comprises part of the village of Spaarndam, a newer housing estate forming part of the municipality of Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude.

     The diocese of Haarlem has been a Catholic diocese since 1559 (Dioecesis Harlemensis). The original Catholic cathedral the Sint-Bavo Cathedral at the Grote Markt, is called after the patron saint of Haarlem, Saint Bavo. The first bishop of Haarlem was Nicolaas van Nieuwland (born in 1510). He accepted the position on November 6, 1561. In 1569 he was advised to resign by the Duke of Alva, because of his reputation for drinking (Dronken Klaasje).

     Van Nieuwland was succeeded by Godfried van Mierlo, who would be the last bishop Haarlem would know for 300 years. Haarlem's cathedral was spared from the iconoclastic riots of 1566 in the Netherlands, because the city's mayor ordered the closing of the church for several months.

     Just before the siege of Haarlem by the Spaniards, the cathedral was cleared of Catholic symbols. After the siege the Spanish army restored the Catholic decoration of the church. The guilds had to make sure their own altars (that had also been 'cleared' out of the cathedral) were restored, at great expense.

     On Sacrament day (May 29) in 1578 Saint Bavo's Cathedral was attacked by soldiers of the Prince of Orange. One of the priests was killed, and many objects in the church were destroyed. This event, called the Haarlemse Noon, forced the bishop to flee the city. The city council confiscated the church, and later converted it to a Protestant church. The new (and current) name of the Cathedral became Sint-Bavokerk. The Agreement of Veere was thus clearly breached.

     It wasn't until 1853 that a new Catholic bishop was installed. A new cathedral, again called the Cathedral of Saint Bavo, was built at the Leidsevaart (canal to Leiden) in 1898. The Bishop of Haarlem nowadays has a formal residence on the Nieuwe Gracht canal.