Ever wonder where the Dutch football craze began? It happened right here in Frederikspark. For ages, Frederikspark has been Haarlem’s playground. You can see it as the heart of Dutch football history.
In the 14th century, Duke Albert I of Bavaria gave this area to Haarlem’s citizens. Ever since, it has been a garden-style park. Frederikspark got some restyling. A few villas were built. But the green fields have always been here.
Look over there at Villa Welgelegen. Original parts of it date back to 1788. King Louis Napoleon, the French emperor’s brother, used it as a palace. Today, it is the seat of the North Holland parliament.
The park itself remains a great place to spot locals relaxing in the sun. People walk their dogs, do their workout routines. Some play football on the trimmed fields between posh villas and stately trees. They follow a long tradition here in Frederikspark. The first-ever football match in the Netherlands was played on this field. This led to the country’s first club team: Haarlem FC. Sadly, the club no longer plays professional football after a tragic bankruptcy.
However, this small park Frederikspark can be seen as the place where the orange football craziness in the Netherlands started.
Let’s talk about some of Frederikspark’s history. Since the Middle Ages, this area has been open and green. Back then, it was known as the Koekamp. It served as a playing field for the nearby Baan. Even then, the area had its historical structure. This structure consisted of a rectangular and originally completely open area. It was enclosed by Dreef, Baan, and Kleine Houtweg.
Between 1809 and 1810, Louis Napoleon commissioned a landscape-style park design. Jan David Zocher, a garden architect, created it. His design featured an egg-shaped ground pattern. It had paths in wide curves along meadows and groves.
In 1832, the park was redesigned. This time, Louis Paul Zocher, son of J.D. Zocher, was the architect. Louis Paul drew inspiration from his father’s design. He designed Frederikspark as a walking park and koekamp.
In 1862, J.D. and L.P. Zocher designed a villa park. They used the existing park and ground pattern to fill it with city villas.
By council decision on June 14, 1876, the park was named after Willem Frederik Karel, Prince of the Netherlands. He was the second son of King Willem I. Names that were rejected included Prinsessetuin, Aelbrechtspark, Paviljoenspark, and Tournooipark.
In 1894, the Brongebouw was built on the north side of the park. It stood near the Wilhelminabron. The Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staalwaterbronnen commissioned it. This spa with a drinking hall, music dome, and theater hall hosted concerts and variety shows. J.A.G. van der Steur and D.E.L. van den Arend designed it. It was demolished in 1931.
From 1933, this northern part of Frederikspark was redeveloped. A sports pool was built. The architects A.J.J. Verspoor and M.J. Muylaert designed it. J.B. van Loghem advised after their first three designs were rejected. They created a modern swimming pool for the time. It featured a wave installation. This pool was in a steel hall with a flat roof and glass walls. Small outbuildings were made of brick. Large glass sliding doors provided direct access to the sun terrace.
The swimming pool was demolished in 1993. Municipal plans to redevelop this site were thwarted by local residents’ actions. Since then, this part of Frederikspark has remained green.
On May 10, 2002, the park was recognized as a national monument. The whitewashed villas from the 19th century around the park have had their own status as national monuments since 1969. In 2024, the municipality announced a plan to slightly expand the park’s greenery by narrowing the Kleine Houtweg.
From 1904 to 1957, the electric tram line Amsterdam – Haarlem – Zandvoort ran on the road called Frederikspark. It passed in front of the Brongebouw and later the Sportfondsenbad.
In Frederikspark, you will find a statue by Mari Andriessen. It depicts De kleine Johannes, the character from Frederik van Eeden’s novel of the same name. The writer was born in the nearby Kleine Houtweg. He grew up in the house at Frederikspark 10. But he is not the Frederik after whom the park is named. The statue shows ‘Johannes’ with the elf ‘Windekind’ and the dog ‘Presto’. It was unveiled in 1966.
So, next time you are here in Frederikspark, remember its rich history. From dukes and kings to football crazes and beloved statues. Frederikspark is a place where history and leisure meet.