Laren

Laren is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called 't Gooi, it is the oldest town in that area. It is one of the most affluent in the Netherlands, along with its neighbour Blaricum. Nationally, Laren is well known for its history as a late 20th-century art colony, preserved in the museum Singer Laren, as well as its wide array of shops. Laren is also the setting for the book "The War in the Corner", by Jan Braakman.

Local government
The municipal council of Laren consists of 15 seats, which since 2010 are divided as follows:


 * VVD - 4 seats
 * Larens Behoud - 5 seats
 * Liberaal Laren - 2 seats
 * CDA - 2 seats
 * PvdA - 2 seats

Demographics (2007)

 * Birth Rate: 7.29 per 1000
 * Death Rate: 17.94 per 1000
 * NGR: -1.07% per year.

Notable residents

 * Mona Louise Parsons - member of Dutch resistance
 * Willemien Aardenburg (1966) - field hockey player
 * Marcel van der Westen (1976) - track and field athlete
 * Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898–1972) - graphic artist, illustrator and printmaker