Baarn
Baarn is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, near Hilversum in the province of Utrecht.
The municipality Baarn
The municipality of Baarn consists of the following towns: Baarn, Eembrugge, Lage Vuursche.The town Baarn
Baarn, the main town of the municipality, received city rights in 1391. The town lies about 8 km east of Hilversum.In 2001, the town of Baarn had a population of 22,871. The urban area of the town was, and consisted of 10,076 residences.
The royal family owns several houses around Baarn. The Soestdijk Palace in Baarn was the home of Queen Emma, Queen Juliana and Juliana's husband prince Bernard. Crown prince Willem Alexander and his brothers attended school in Baarn when Queen Beatrix and her family lived at Castle Drakesteijn in the village of Lage Vuursche, before they moved to The Hague in 1980. A piece of forest, the Baarnse Bos, is adjacent to the palace and historically belonged to it.
Baarn's shopping facilities are mainly located in the Laanstraat. Other visitor destinations include 'het Cantonspark' and Groeneveld Castle. In the north and east there are polders, and the river Eem. Recreation resources include the woodlands south-west of Baarn, connecting Baarn to Soestdijk, and called 'Het Baarnsche Bos'.
The Scout Centre Buitenzorg is located in Baarn.
To the south lay the connecting road towards the city of Amersfoort, called 'Breemeentje'. This, approx. 10 km long straight of polder road, connects the town of Baarn to various roads in Soest and the industrial area of Amersfoort.
Due to good communications with Amsterdam, the town is home to a number of boutique international firms such as SEI Investments Company, Bain & Co and Cerberus Capital Management. Unilever's Conimex and software company Seyoda Games are located in Baarn.
Transport
Baarn has a railway station - Baarn railway station, with trains going every half-hour to Utrecht, Amersfoort and Amsterdam.The A1 motorway runs just north of Baarn.
Notable residents
Royalty
- Prince Ernest Casimir of the Netherlands the fourth son of the Prince of Orange, later King William II of the Netherlands
- Beatrix of the Netherlands Queen of the Netherlands 1980/2013
- Princess Irene of the Netherlands the second child of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
- Princess Christina of the Netherlands the youngest of four daughters of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands
Public thinking & Public Service
- Bauke Roolvink a Dutch politician and a trade union leader
- Michiel Horn FRSC a Canadian professor and historian
- Edith Schippers a former politician, was Minister of Healthcare, lives in Baarn
The Arts
- Betty Callish a Dutch actress, singer and violinist
- M. C. Escher a Dutch graphic artist, lived and worked in Baarn 1941/1970
- Piet Esser a Dutch sculptor
- Lia Dorana a Dutch comedian and actress
- Tineke de Nooij a Dutch radio and TV presenter
- Joop van den Ende a Dutch theatrical producer and media tycoon, lives in Baarn
- Yorick van Wageningen a Dutch actor
- Martin Majoor a Dutch type designer and graphic designer
- Marleen van den Broek stage name Marlayne, a Dutch singer at 1999 Eurovision Song Contest
Sport
- Fanny Blankers-Koen a Dutch track and field athlete, won four gold medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics
- André Hoekstra a retired Dutch footballer with over 300 club caps
- Maryse Abendanon a former Dutch field hockey player, lives in Baarn
- Diederik van Weel field hockey player, team gold medallist at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Dustley Mulder a Curaçaoan footballer with over 300 club caps
- Ilse van der Meijden a water polo player, team gold medallist at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Sharon van Rouwendaal a Dutch distance swimmer and a gold medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Twin city
