Noord-Holland
Haarlemmermeer
In Haarlemmermeer, a pump tells a story about the ground beneath its villages as well as about engineering. The Cruquius Museum connects the drainage of the former lake with the life that developed in the polder afterwards. Its engine room and Polder Pavilion present that history at different scales: the power of a machine and the development of a place to live.
Water takes on another role at Vijfhuizen. The fort belonged to the Defence Line of Amsterdam, where flooding land was a means of defence. Today the Kunstfort provides space for art inside the building and on the fort island. The use of the site has changed with it, from a military installation to a setting for exhibitions and outdoor art.
This selection combines a morning at De Cruquius with an afternoon in Vijfhuizen. Toolenburgerplas in Hoofddorp offers a separate walk beside the water. In Halfweg, engineering remains tangible in the pumping station’s engine room, which operates under steam on announced days. These places bring different uses of water together: draining land, defending it, providing recreation and continuing to carry excess water away.
Pumping station and fort
Cruquius Museum
The engine room at De Cruquius centres on the machinery used to drain the former lake. Its movement is now powered hydraulically. The Polder Pavilion tells the story of Haarlemmermeer’s development after drainage.
Cruquiusdijk 27, 2142 ER Cruquius
Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen
Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen brings art to a former defensive structure. The fort island with its outdoor exhibition is freely accessible every day; separate opening hours apply to the fort building.
Fortwachter 1, 2141 EE Vijfhuizen
A day in Haarlemmermeer
This example combines the Cruquius Museum and Kunstfort on an ordinary Thursday to Sunday, outside closure dates. An hour and a half between visits allows lunch and travel. The afternoon includes the fort island; access inside depends on the fort building being open.
11:00–13:00 · Cruquius Museum
The morning covers the engine room and a selection from the Polder Pavilion at Cruquiusdijk 27. The machinery and the displays about life in the polder complement each other. A demonstration now uses a hydraulic system.
14:30–16:00 · Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen
After lunch comes the fort island at Vijfhuizen, at Fortwachter 1. Outdoor art occupies the grounds around a former defensive structure. When the fort building is open, part of the visit can move indoors.
Map and localities
Localities
- Hoofddorp
- Rozenburg
- Oude Meer
- Aalsmeerderbrug
- Rijsenhout
- Nieuw-Vennep
- Burgerveen
- Schiphol-Rijk
- Leimuiderbrug
- Weteringbrug
- Buitenkaag
- Abbenes
- Lisserbroek
- Beinsdorp
- Zwaanshoek
- Cruquius
- Vijfhuizen
- Zwanenburg
- Boesingheliede
- Lijnden
- Badhoevedorp
- Schiphol
- Haarlemmerliede
- Halfweg
- Spaarndam
More about Haarlemmermeer
Museum Stoomgemaal Halfweg preserves the original steam installation and a collection of model and industrial steam engines. The machines run on announced steam days. The museum at Haarlemmermeerstraat 4 has its own calendar of opening days, so a visit is separate from the example day above.
Key figures and transport
Population
166,978
Area
206.31 km²
Water
9.05 km²
Localities
25
Reference date · 1 January 2026
Stations
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Water and recreation
Walking beside Toolenburgerplas
In Hoofddorp, a 3.2-kilometre walking path circles Toolenburgerplas. Straight forms associated with the polder alternate with curving banks, reeds and open water. The walk offers a separate outdoor activity alongside the two visits in the example day.