Fietstocht Plug 2017
Day 4 - Haarlem to Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Bij Alkmaar begint de victorie*..... for the team the victory of completing the 3rd consecutive day of cycling and 165 kilometers under our belts. We continued the northward journey along canals and through the flat countryside of Noord Holland and soon arrived in historic Alkmaar.
After dinner the group toured the old city center and Jillian bought some cheese.
* bij Alkmaar begint de victorie is a well known historical Dutch expression referring to the initial turning point in the Eighty Years War (1568 - 1648) against the Spanish for the independence of The Netherlands.
The earliest mention of the name Alkmaar is in the10th-century and city rights were granted to it in 1254. The oldest part of Alkmaar lies on an ancient sand bank that afforded some protection from inundation during medieval times.
In 1573 the city underwent a siege by Spanish forces under the leadership of Don Fadrique, son of the Duke of Alva. The citizens sent urgent messages for help to the Prince of Orange. He responded by promising to open the floodgates of the dykes and flood the region if the need arose, which despite the protestations of the peasantry, fearful for their harvest, he proceeded to do. Some of his dispatches fell into the hands of Don Fadrique, and, with the waters beginning to rise, the Spaniards raised the siege and fled. It was a turning point in the EIghty Years War and gave rise to the expression Bij Alkmaar begint de victorie ("Victory begins at Alkmaar").
In 1799, during the French Revolutionary Wars, an Anglo-Russian expeditionary force captured the city but was ultimately defeated in the Battle of Castricum. The French victory was commemorated on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as "Alkmaer”.
The North Holland Canal opened in 1824, was dug through Alkmaar. In 1865 and 1867 the railways between Alkmaar and Den Helder and between Alkmaar and Haarlem were built respectively.
Alkmaar has many medieval buildings that are still intact, most notably the tall tower of the Grote Sint-Laurentskerk where many people from Alkmaar hold their wedding ceremony. The other main attraction, especially in the summer months, is Alkmaar's cheese market at the Waagplein, one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.
There are no known Plug ancestors that lived in Alkmaar.
Day 3: Haarlem to Alkmaar
through Spaarndam, Zaanse Schans and De Rijp
32 miles / 52 kilometers
