Send Gift Baskets to Amstelveen, Netherlands

Between 1810 and 1814, Amstelveen was the capital of the French canton Zuyderzée, and until 1964 Amstelveen was also known as Nieuwer-Amstel. Because it was never walled, it is technically a large dorp (village). There is no difference between the symbols used for Amstelveen and Amsterdam in that Amsterdam has one fewer cross, indicating the seniority of Amstelveen and Ouder-Amstel. A heempark, or heemgroen, is one of sixteen heemparks or heemgroen in Amstelveen. The Thijssepark was the first in the Netherlands. Architect C. R. Broerse designs the landscape, following the ideas of the great Dutch naturalist Jac van der Velden. An area of 5 hectares (about 12 acres) was developed between 1940 and 1972 by P. Thijsse, just south of the Amsterdamse Bos. The Netherlands had not qualified for the 1999 Cricket World Cup, so Amstelveen was chosen as the unlikely host. The match was between South Africa and Kenya. During his political career, former Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende served on Amstelveen’s council. Amstelveen has developed a cosmopolitan mix of cultures due to its proximity to Schiphol (Amsterdam Airport).

There was a small rural village called Amstelveen in the early 20th century. Village revenues had been lost because the turf industry had collapsed. Because of the need for a significant railway or waterway, the village was somewhat isolated. Most of the income was from livestock farming, some from arable farming, but horticulture and floriculture were also developing.

“Fort at the Schiphol” was built in 1852 to defend Amsterdam after the Haarlemmermeer polder was reclaimed. The names of forts were often derived from rivers in those days. Aalsmeer and Amstelveen were separated by a ditch called “Fort at the Schiphol,” named after a piece of land from Amstelveen. A military airport was established at Fort Schiphol in 1916, and a civilian airport was opened at Schiphol four years later. In 1934, the Schiphol Fort was demolished to build a provincial road (Mayor Van Sonweg) from Amstelveen to Schiphol, with a swing bridge over the Haarlemmermeer canal. Many Amstelveen residents settled in Schiphol Airport due to its development, and KLM established its headquarters there. Originally the fastest-growing city in the Netherlands, Amstelveen now has 91,691 residents (2020).