Haarlem, a town of Holland, 10 miles W. of Amsterdam, is intersected, like most Dutch towns, with canals and avenues of trees. Of its churches the principal is the Great or St Bavon's, a Late Gothic basilica, built in the 15th century, one of the largest churches in Holland, and specially noted for its lofty tower and its organ (1738), long esteemed the largest and finest ever constructed.
Before the church stands a statue of Laurens Coster (q.v.), to whom his countrymen ascribe the invention of printing. The town-hall, formerly the residence of the Counts of Holland, has portraits by Franz Hals, and a valuable collection of early printed works. The Teyler Institution promotes the study of theology, natural science, and the fine arts. Although Haarlem is no longer celebrated, as it was in the 17th century, for its flourishing trade, it still weaves cotton, casts type, bleaches linen, and carries on an extensive trade in flowers, especially in tulips, hyacinths, and other bulbs. It was a flourishing town as early as the 12th century, when it took an important part in the wars between the Hollanders and West Frisians. At the close of the 15th century it was deprived of its privileges by Albert of Saxony, and it suffered severely during the revolt of the peasantry (1492). During the war of independence it underwent a seven months' siege (1572-73) from the Spaniards, in which the citizens displayed the noblest heroism. The wood of Haarlem is a favourite place for recreation; in it stands the 'pavilion,' which contains the colonial and industrial museums and a collection of modern pictures. Pop. (1876) 34,132; (1894) 58,390.