Editing Spaarne

{{Infobox river
| name                        = Spaarne
| image                       = Spaarndam-IJ.jpg
| image_size                  = 260px
| image_caption               = Mouth of the Spaarne
| subdivision_type1           = Country
| subdivision_name1           = [[Netherlands]]
| subdivision_type2           = Province
| subdivision_name2           = [[North Holland]]
| length                      = {{Convert|10.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| source1                     = [[Ringvaart]]
| source1_location            = [[Cruquius (town)|Cruquius]]
| source1_coordinates         = {{coord|52|20|20|N|4|38|23|E|display=inline}}
| mouth                       = [[North Sea Canal]]
| mouth_location              = [[Spaarndam]]
| mouth_coordinates           = {{coord|52|24|55|N|4|40|50|E|display=inline,title}}
| tributaries_right           = [[Liede]]
| map                         = Location Spaarne.png
| map_size                    = 260px
| map_caption                 = Location of the Spaarne in dark blue
}}
The '''Spaarne''' is a [[river]] in [[North Holland]], [[Netherlands]]. This partially [[River engineering#Canalization of rivers|canalized]] river connects the [[Ringvaart]] to a side branch of the [[North Sea Canal]]. It runs through [[Haarlem]], [[Heemstede]], and [[Spaarndam]].

The historic canals of Haarlem's moats are connected to the Spaarne. A lock at Spaarndam separates it from the North Sea Canal.

According to Sterck-Proot, a historian, the name Spaarne probably comes from ''Spier'', which means [[Phragmites|reed]] in old Dutch.

==History==
The river formerly flowed from the [[Haarlemmermeer]] (Haarlem Lake) to the [[IJ (Amsterdam)|IJ]], which used to extend from the [[Zuiderzee]] all the way to [[Velsen]]. In the 13th century, a [[dam]] with [[Lock (water transport)|lock]]s was constructed at the mouth of the Spaarne where the village of [[Spaarndam]] then formed.

After a century of planning, Haarlem's Lake was pumped dry in 3 years from 1850–1853 and made into a [[polder]]. The Spaarne became a branch of the [[Ringvaart]], lost much of its flow, and became shallower.

The construction of the [[North Sea Canal]] (completed in 1876) reduced most of the [[IJ (bay)|IJ Bay]] into polders but a small canalized section of the IJ remained at Spaarndam to connect the Spaarne to the new canal.

The river was deepened for the benefit of industries along its shores.

==Places of interest along the riverbanks==
At the juncture of the river and the [[ringvaart]] is the [[Cruquius Museum]], a museum that resides in one of the three original pumping stations from 1850. [[Steam engine]]s were used to pump the water out from the Haarlemmermeer polder. On the Heemstede side of the juncture is the old [[Slot Heemstede|Castle Heemstede]]. Traveling up the river towards Haarlem, on the Heemstede side the dome of the [[Hageveld]] high school and former Catholic seminary can be seen. Continuing under the bridge to [[Schalkwijk, Haarlem|Schalkwijk]], on that side is [[windmill]] "De Hommel", a sawmill that is often open to the public on spring and summer weekends. Across from that on the Heemstede side is rowing club ''K.R.Z.V. Het Spaarne'' and a few buildings by [[J.B. van Loghem]], such as ''Tuinwijk'', an early community living project sharing a garden. In the same block, entering Haarlem, is the old location of the ships architectural bureau [[De Voogt Naval Architects]] in the home of Henri de Voogt, known from [[Feadship]]. Nearing the next bridge, on the edge of the wood the [[Haarlemmerhout]], [[villa Welgelegen]] can be seen, that once had a garden all the way to the Spaarne. Once in the center of Haarlem, many historic buildings in the centre of Haarlem, including:
*The [[Waag, Haarlem|Weigh House]] of Haarlem
*[[Dutch Society of Science|Hodson house]]
*[[Teylers Museum]]
*[[Teylers Hofje]]
*Windmill "[[De Adriaan, Haarlem|De Adriaan]]"
*[[Hofje van Noblet]]
<!-- NO NEED TO ADD MORE PHOTOS HERE: THAT'S WHAT THE COMMONS LINK IS FOR. -->
<gallery>
Image:HaarlemSpaarne1.jpg|View of downtown Haarlem with the old [[Waag, Haarlem|weigh house]] in the middle
Image:Teylersmuseum.JPG|Teyler's Museum in Haarlem on the Spaarne
File:(Haarlem)The houses along the Spaarne River, Netherlands.jpg|Houses along the Spaarne River
File:(Haarlem) The morden & triditional houses along the Spaarne River, Netherlands.jpg|Modern and traditional houses along the Spaarne River
</gallery>

==References==
* J.M Sterck-Proot, Tjeenk Willink, ''Haarlems oudste tijden: een vroeg-middeleeuwsch stadsbeeld'', Haarlem, 1930.
*Bert Sliggers a.o., ''De loop van het Spaarne; de geschiedenis van een rivier'', Haarlem, Schuyt, 1987.

{{Commons category}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rivers of North Holland]]
[[Category:Geography of Haarlem]]
[[Category:Heemstede]]
[[Category:Rivers of the Netherlands]]