Halfweg

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For other uses, see Halfweg (disambiguation).

The village (dark red) and the statistical district (light green) of Halfweg in the municipality of Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude.

Halfweg (52°23′N, 4°45′E) is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude, and lies about 8 km east of Haarlem. Its name, which translates as "halfway," comes from its location approximately halfway between Haarlem and Amsterdam.

The statistical area "Halfweg", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 2330.^[1]

[edit] History

In 1632, the Haarlemmertrekvaart, a canal from Amsterdam to Haarlem, opened for passenger traffic by trekschuit (towed barges). At the halfway point the passengers needed to disembark and change boats.

A towpath was laid along the canal, and this route has become the Haarlemmerweg (A200). From 1904 to 1957, Halfweg was a stop on the Amsterdam-Haarlem-Zandvoort electric tram line.

A sugar factory was built in the 19th century and closed in the 1990s, although the building still dominates the city skyline.

Until 1876, the IJ ran north of the town; it is now bordered by the polders created when the bay was drained in that year. The village of Ruigoord, formerly an island of the same name, borders Halfweg, as does the town of Zwanenburg.