Amstelveen

Amstelveen is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is a suburban part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the following villages and/or districts: Amstelveen, Bovenkerk, Westwijk, Bankras-Kostverloren, Groenelaan, Waardhuizen, Middenhoven, Randwijk, Elsrijk, Keizer Karelpark, Nes aan de Amstel, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel (partly). The name Amstelveen comes from Amstel, a local river, and veen, meaning fen, peat, or moor.

KLM has its headquarters in Amstelveen. In addition Amstelveen has the international headquarters of one of the Big Four auditors, KPMG.

History
During the French occupation between 1810 and 1814, it was the capital of a canton in the French department Zuyderzée, and until 1964 the municipality of Amstelveen was called Nieuwer-Amstel. It is technically a large dorp (village), because it was never walled. The symbol adopted for Amstelveen was based on the Amsterdam symbol of three crosses, with one additional cross for distinction. The Thijssepark (in full the Dr Jac. P. Thijssepark), was the first heempark in the Netherlands and is one of sixteen heemparks or heemgroen in Amstelveen. Designed by landscape architect C.P.Broerse; following the ideas of the great Dutch naturalist and conservationist Jac. P. Thijsse, it was developed between 1940 and 1972 and covers an area of 5 hectares, and is situated just south of the Amsterdamse Bos. Amstelveen was chosen as an unlikely host of a match in the 1999 Cricket World Cup, for which the Netherlands had not qualified. South Africa played Kenya in the match. Former Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende started his political career as member of the council for Amstelveen. As a result of the vicinity of Schiphol (Amsterdam Airport), and its links to Amsterdam, Amstelveen has grown and become a cosmopolitan mix of many cultures living in Amstelveen.

In the early 20th century Amstelveen was a small rural village. The turf industry had collapsed, so the revenues of it were gone. The village was somewhat isolated, because no major rail and waterway were connected. The main source of income was livestock farming with some arable, but the horticulture and floriculture were already emerging.

In 1852 the Haarlemmermeer polder was reclaimed and the "Fort at the Schiphol" was created as a defense for the capital Amsterdam. Forts were in those days more often named after rivers. "Fort at the Schiphol" was a separating ditch between Aalsmeer and Amstelveen,and named after a piece of land from Amstelveen. Fort Schiphol, became a military airport in 1916. Four years later Schiphol became a civilian airport. Schiphol Fort was demolished in 1934. The demolition was necessary for the construction of the provincial road (Mayor Of Sonweg) from Amstelveen to Schiphol, with a swing bridge over the circular canal of the Haarlemmermeer. The development of Schiphol attracted many people, many of whom settled in Amstelveen. The headquarters of KLM was established there. Amstelveen once was the fastest growing city in the Netherlands and has now grown to 81,003 inhabitants (2010).

After World War II Amstelveen caught a portion of Amsterdam's housing shortage, and was also a member of the municipality of Schiphol. Amsterdams Planning was to introduce Amstelveen as a metropolitan area, with its urban and green areas. Amstelveen remained an independent and self-conscious municipality and adopted a policy that reflected many attractive new residential areas. Amstelveens landscaping and added art attracted much international attention.

Economy
KLM Netherlands has its headquarters in Amstelveen ( 52.30612°N, 4.84295°W ). Air France-KLM is represented by the KLM head office.

In addition Amstelveen has the international headquarters of one of the Big Four auditors, KPMG.

Transport
Amstelveen has a metro and tram connection with Amsterdam. The Metro is a larger version of the tram in which some bicycles may be taken. It has a 'point to point' bus connection to other villages, Schiphol International Airport, Amsterdam as well as a local network.

Tourism and attractions

 * Cobra Museum is located in the centre (Stadshart) of Amstelveen.
 * Museum Jan van der Togt, is centrehousing a glass art collection
 * Birthplace of the artist Jan Cornelis Hofman.
 * Birthplace of the actress Famke Janssen.
 * A statue of Rembrandt overlooks the river Amstel, south east from the Amstelpark, where a windmill open to visitors is also situated
 * An Electrische Museumtramlijn still connects to Amsterdam in the summer, passing by the Amsterdamse Bos and Olympic rowing lake
 * Further places of interest: Amsterdam,

Secondary Education

 * The Hermann Wesselink College offers vmbo-tl, havo, vwo (gymnasium and atheneum) and bilingual education
 * The Keizer Karel College offers havo and vwo (atheneum, gymnasium and technasium).
 * The Amstelveen College offers vmbo-tl, havo, and vwo (atheneum and gymnasium)
 * The Panta Rhei offers vmbo, optionally with leerwegondersteunend onderwijs (literally, "learning path supporting education")

Other Education

 * The International School Amsterdam is located in Amstelveen.

Local government
The municipal council of Amstelveen consists of 37 seats, which are divided as follows:


 * VVD - 9 seats
 * PvdA - 5 seats
 * GroenLinks - 5 seats
 * Burger Belangen - 4 seats
 * CDA - 4 seats
 * D66 - 6 seats
 * Christen Unie - 1 seat
 * OCA/VSP - 1 seat
 * SP - 2 seats

Twin towns – Sister cities
Amstelveen is twinned with:
 * Woking in United Kingdom
 * 🇵🇪 Villa El Salvador in Peru
 * 🇩🇪 Tempelhof in Germany
 * 🇭🇺 Óbuda-Békásmegyer in Hungary