IJmuiden 1

On 17 June 2017 the Harbour Festival was held in the coastal town of IJmuiden. I went there to visit the former HMS Naaldwijk, a minesweeper from 1955. It was of course named after our town of Naaldwijk and the municipal council of Westland decided in 2016, on my proposal, to sponsor the ship for 5000 euro. So I wanted to see how the ship was doing. Of course I stopped at the local Primera for a datestamp. The stamps I used were the North Sea pier at IJmuiden, destroyed in 1869, from the series 'The Netherlands and the water' and the provincial flag of North Holland from 2002.

IJmuiden is a port city in the Dutch province of North Holland and is the main town in the municipality of Velsen. It is located at the mouth of the North Sea Canal to Amsterdam, and lies approximately 17 kilometres north of Haarlem. The internal capitalization in the city's spelling is because IJ is a digraph in Dutch, and is therefore sometimes considered to be a ligature, rendering it a single letter. The port of IJmuiden is a deepwater port suited to fully laden Panamax ships, and fourth port of the Netherlands.

In the Roman era, this Velsen district was already inhabited, and archaeological finds at the impoldered lake of Wijkermeer indicate there was a North Sea port of some regional importance built here. Present day IJmuiden includes four harbors: the vissershaven (Ship's code IJM), a fishing dock (visafslag), the haringhaven, the IJmondhaven and the Seaport Marina IJmuiden, a harbour for pleasure craft. IJmuiden became the largest fishing port of the Netherlands after the island of Urk became closed in by the Afsluitdijk. The town suffered heavy damage and demolition during World War II, because of its maritime importance.

City/town:         IJmuiden

Municipality:     Velsen

Area:                63,05 km² (Velsen)

Population:       67.585 (Velsen, April 2017)

Website:           velsen.nl

Post office

Primera Prince

Planetenweg 62

1973 BH  IJMUIDEN

facebook.com/Primera-IJmuiden-Prince

Date sent: 17 June 2017

Date postmark: 17 June 2017

Date received: 20 June 2017

Number of days: 3

Envelope in collection: 181

Post office photo not yet available. :-(

Monster 2

It is only a fifteen minutes ride by bus from 's‑Gravenzande to Monster, also a town in my municipality. I didn't have much time before the next bus would arrive, so I went to the Hoogvliet supermarket. There was a bit  of a consternation because initially they could not find the datestamp. It was still brand new and not everybody was told about its existence. Fortunately I got it before the next bus came.
The stamp I used is a personal stamp designed and issued by Postzegelvereniging Monster (Monster stamp club) in the series 'Westlands mooiste' (Westland's most beautiful). It represents the Monster based company of Koppert Cress, producer of cress (edible plants).

Monster is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 10 km south-west of The Hague. The village of Monster has a population of around 13.900 (2017). Until 2004 it was a separate municipality and covered an area of 20.15 km². The former municipality of Monster also included the towns, Poeldijk and Ter Heijde. Monster and Ter Heijde are towns on the North Sea coast and have a popular beach.

In the 13th century a great deal of the Westland, Loosduinen and The Hague were administered by Monster. When The Hague came to be constructed, a split was made in Haag-ambacht and Half-Loosduinen. The latter village was separated from Monster in 1812. Remains of the former glory can still be seen between The Hague and Monster at such estates as Ockenburgh, Bloemendaal, Solleveld and Langeveld. There is a great deal of uncertainty over the origin of the name "Monster". It is probably derived from the Latin monasterium, meaning monastery. The name was also used for the ground that belonged to a monastery. Another explanation was that Monster was derived from the old-Dutch word monster, which meant amongst others "big church" (from Latin: monstrum), which is supported by the fact that Monster had those days one of the largest churches in the area.

Monster was previously a destination for pilgrimage, because Machutus parish possessed some relics of its patron Machutus, who is also known as Machuut. People came to be healed of the "falling sickness", which was possibly epilepsy.

City/town:         Monster

Municipality:     Westland

Area:                90,58 km² (Westland)

Population:       106.752 (Westland, August 2017)

Website:           gemeentewestland.nl

Parcel point

Hoogvliet Monster

Molenstraat 46

2681 BS  MONSTER

facebook.com/hoogvliet.monster

Date sent: 16 June 2017

Date postmark: 16 June 2017

Date received: 17 June 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 174

's-Gravenzande 2

At the start of my collection of datestamps I tried to get at least one datestamp from every town with a post office of parcel point. On 16 June 2017 I had to visit one of the towns in my municipality and on my way there I stopped in 's‑Gravenzande to get the postmark from this city. The shop that housed the post office did not have a datestamp so I walked to the nearby supermarket that had a parcel point. I was the first one that asked for it and they had some trouble finding it. It was somewhere deep in a drawer, but eventually it emerged. I made the first impressions with this datestamp.

's-Gravenzande is a town in the province of South Holland, in the Netherlands. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 12 km southwest of The Hague. Until 2004 it was a separate municipality and covered an area of 20.77 km². 's-Gravenzande was granted city rights in 1246 by Count William II of Holland who, just like his father Count Floris IV, regularly resided at his estate near the town. It is therefore the only "city" in Westland.

Machteld van Brabant, daughter of Duke Henry I and wife of Floris IV, was responsible for building the town's church, and gave it a Madonna statue to which miraculous powers were attributed. 's-Gravenzande subsequently became a pilgrimage site.

City/town:         's-Gravenzande

Municipality:     Westland

Area:                90,58 km² (Westland)

Population:       106.752 (Westland, August 2017)

Website:           gemeentewestland.nl

Parcel point

Hoogvliet 's-Gravenzande

Van Geeststraat 31

2692 AC  'S-GRAVENZANDE

facebook.com/Hoogvliet.sGravenzande

Date sent: 16 June 2017

Date postmark: 16 June 2017

Date received: 17 June 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 173

Voorburg 1

I work in The Hague on the border with the town of Voorburg. On 15 June 2017 after work I took the bus a few stops to the shopping center Koningin Julianaplein (Queen Juliana Square) where the post office is located in the Bruna book store. As stamp I used the 2009 Europa and International Year of Astronomy stamp showing the 'Lens van Huygens' (Huygens' lens). Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) was a Dutch physicist, mathematician, astronomer and inventor, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time and a major figure in the scientific revolution. He invented the pendulum clock, the magic lantern and improved the telescope with his lens. With it he discovered the first moon of Saturn, Titan. His drawing of Saturn is shown on the stamp.

Voorburg is a Dutch town and former municipality in the west part of the province of South Holland, the Netherlands. Together with Leidschendam and Stompwijk, it makes up the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg. It has a population of about 39,000 people. In 2002, the cities of Leidschendam and Voorburg were merged under the new municipality named "Leidschendam-Voorburg". Situated adjacent to the city of The Hague, it is often regarded as one of its suburbs.

Voorburg has its roots in the 2nd century, when a local civilian settlement gained city rights from the Romans, becoming known as Forum Hadriani. It was along the Fossa Corbulonis, a canal connecting the Rhine and the Meuse that had been dug in 47 AD by the Roman general Corbulo. This waterway is now known as the Rijn-Schie canal (more commonly referred to as the Vliet) and is still a dominant landmark of the present day borough.

Famous inhabitants of Voorburg include the 17th century author and poet Constantijn Huygens, who spent many years building his small country house Hofwijck with adjacent geometrically shaped gardens alongside the Vliet. His son, the famous astronomer and mathematician Christiaan Huygens, spent several years in his father's country house in Voorburg. The house, located next to the main railway station, now functions as a museum.

City/town:         Voorburg

Municipality:     Leidschendam-Voorburg

Area:                6,28 km² (Leidschendam-Voorburg 35,62 km²)

Population:       41.515 (2018) (Leidschendam-Voorburg 75.405, 1 January 2019)

Website:           lv.nl

Post office

Bruna Voorburg

Koningin Julianaplein 24

2273 BR  VOORBURG

facebook.com/BrunaVoorburg

Date sent: 15 June 2017

Date postmark: 15 June 2017

Date received: 16 June 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 171

Utrecht 3

On 10 June 2017 I visited the city of Utrecht for the Day of the Coin, the annual open day of the Royal Dutch Mint. Of course I went to the post office to get a datestamp. The post office closest to the station was the one in the AKO book store in Hoog Catharijne shopping mall that is built next to the station. For this envelope I used the Utrecht stamp from the 2017 sheet with Dutch botanical gardens. Utrecht Botanic Gardens are part of the university and can be visited (uu.nl/en/utrecht-botanic-gardens). The stamp shows the Pyrostegia venusta (flamevine or orange trumpetvine). With the postmark Utrecht it makes a perfect match.

Utrecht is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation and is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands. Utrecht's ancient city centre features many buildings and structures several dating as far back as the High Middle Ages. It has been the religious centre of the Netherlands since the 8th century. It lost the status of prince-bishopric but remains the main religious centre in the country. Utrecht was the most important city in the Netherlands until the Dutch Golden Age, when it was surpassed by Amsterdam as the country's cultural centre and most populous city.

Utrecht is host to Utrecht University, the largest university in the Netherlands, as well as several other institutions of higher education. Due to its central position within the country, it is an important transport hub for both rail and road transport. It has the second highest number of cultural events in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam. In 2012, Lonely Planet included Utrecht in the top 10 of the world’s unsung places.

City/town:       Utrecht

Municipality:   Utrecht

Area:              99,21 km²

Population:    345.080 (August 2017)

Website:        utrecht.nl

Post office

AKO Utrecht Hoog Catharijne

Godebaldkwartier 79 1

3511 DN  UTRECHT

ako.nl/ako-utrecht-hoog-catharijne

Date sent: 10 June 2017

Date postmark: 10 June 2017

Date received: 13 June 2017

Number of days: 3

Envelope in collection: 170

Naaldwijk 2

The town of Naaldwijk is part of Westland municipality just like my own town. When I was there on 9 June 2017 to renew my driving licence at our town hall I walked into the book store The Read Shop in the town center where the post office is. Apart from the new datestamp they still had the old one that should have been returned in January. They told me that they refused to send it back because 'it is a part of the history of our store'. I got impressions of both postmarks for my collection. The stamp on the envelope was issued for the 50th birthday of King Willem-Alexander.

Naaldwijk is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 10 km southwest of The Hague. Naaldwijk lies in the heart of Westland. The largest economic sector is greenhouse horticulture. The largest flower auction site in the world, operated by FloraHolland, can be found in the nearby village of Honselersdijk. Naaldwijk was previously a municipality in its own right, covering an area of 25.33 km². It included the towns Honselersdijk and Maasdijk. On 1 January 2004 the municipality of Naaldwijk was merged with the neighbouring municipalities De Lier, 's-Gravenzande, Monster, and Wateringen to create the municipality of Westland. Naaldwijk is now the administrative capital of Westland. The village of Naaldwijk has a population of around 15.440. The statistical area Naaldwijk, which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 17,370.

City/town:       Naaldwijk

Municipality:   Westland

Area:              90,58 km² (Westland)

Population:    106.752 (Westland, August 2017)

Website:        gemeentewestland.nl

Post office

The Read Shop Naaldwijk

Wilhelminaplein 12

2671 GS  NAALDWIJK

readshop.nl/winkel

facebook.com/readshopnaaldwijk
(in August 2019 the post boxes were transfered form the Business Point Naaldwijk 1 to this post office because of bankrupcy)

Date sent: 9 June 2017

Date postmark: 9 June 2017

Date received: 10 June 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 157

Leeuwarden 3

On Saturday 3 June 2017 I travelled to the north of the country. I had an appointment in Leeuwarden, the capital of the province of Friesland (Fryslân). It was the first time in my life that I set foot in Friesland. From my village it is almost 3,5 hours by tram and train so I left early. The AKO book store in the station was also a post office so I got my datestamp almost upon arrival. As stamps I used the Leeuwarden stamp form the series Mooi Nederland (Beautiful Netherlands) from 2010 and the flag of the province of Friesland from 2002. A pair of matching stamps.

Leeuwarden is a city and municipality in Friesland in the Netherlands. It is the provincial capital and seat of the States of Friesland. The region has been continuously inhabited since the 10th century. It came to be known as Leeuwarden in the early 9th century and was granted city privileges in 1435. It is the main economic hub of Friesland, situated in a green and water-rich environment. Leeuwarden is a former royal residence and has a historic city center, many historically relevant buildings, and a large shopping center with squares and restaurants. Leeuwarden was awarded the title European Capital of Culture for 2018. The Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour), an ice skating tour passing the eleven cities of Friesland, started and finished in Leeuwarden.

City/town:       Leeuwarden

Municipality:   Leeuwarden

Area:              166,99 km² (Leeuwarden mun.)

Population:    108.583 (Leeuwarden mun., August 2017)

Website:         leeuwarden.nl

Post office

AKO Leeuwarden

Stationsplein 2 D

8911 AC  LEEUWARDEN

ako.nl/ako-leeuwarden
facebook.com/AKO

Date sent: 3 June 2017

Date postmark: 3 June 2017

Date received: 6 June 2017

Number of days: 3

Envelope in collection: 140

Amersfoort 2

After visiting Barneveld, I took the train back home. I had to transfer trains in Amersfoort so I decided to get a datestamp there as well. There was, according to the map, a parcel point inside the AKO bookstore in the station. Unfortunately they had just closed the parcel point and were now a normal station bookstore.

Since I already put a stamp on the envelope I took a bus into the city to find a post office. I found one in a supermarket where I got my datestamp. The stamps I used were the Amersfoort stamp from the Mooi Nederland (Beautiful Netherlands) series from 2008 and the flag of the province of Utrecht from 2002. Both matching stamps for the datestamp.

Amersfoort is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands. In August 2017, the municipality had a population of 155.089, making it the second-largest of the province and fifteenth-largest of the country. Amersfoort is also one of the largest Dutch railway junctions with its three stations (Amersfoort, Schothorst and Vathorst) due to its location on two of the Netherlands' main east to west and north to south railway lines. The city was used during the 1928 Summer Olympics as a venue for the modern pentathlon events. Amersfoort marked its 750th anniversary as a city in 2009.

City/town:       Amersfoort

Municipality:   Amersfoort

Area:              63,86 km²

Population:    155.089 (August 2017)

Website:        amersfoort.nl

Post office

PLUS Amersfoort

Arnhemseweg 4

3817 CH  AMERSFOORT

plus.nl/plus-amersfoort
facebook.com/PLUS.Amersfoort

Date sent: 2 June 2017

Date postmark: 2 June 2017

Date received: 3 June 2017

Number of days: 1

Envelope in collection: 139

Barneveld 5

Twice a year in the town of Barneveld a stamp show is held. The Spring Fair (Voorjaarsbeurs) and the End of Year Fair (Eindejaarsbeurs). On 2 June 2018 I visited the Spring Fair, called Hollandfila 2017, and afterwards took the opportunity to get one of the new datestamps. The Primera shop was the closest post office to the Veluwehal where the show was held. As stamp I used the 2017 stamp from the series of chicken breeds with the Barnevelder chicken, a perfect match between stamp and postmark.

Barneveld is a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland and also the administrative center of the eponymous municipality. It exists as a village since 1333. In Dutch history it is known as the town where during the Hook and Cod wars (1350-1490) cavalry officer Jan van Schaffelaar jumped to his death from the church tower to spare his besieged troops (16 July 1482). Barneveld is widely known as the Dutch center of poultry farming and egg production. Every Thursday there is an egg market where the national price of eggs is set.

City/town: Barneveld
Municipality: Barneveld
Area:              176,69 km² (Barneveld mun.)
Population:    56.625 (Barneveld mun., August 2017)
Website:         barneveld.nl

Parcel point
Primera De Bruijn
Jan van Schaffelaarstraat 64
3771 BW  BARNEVELD
primera.nl/primera-barneveld-de-bruijn

facebook.com/Primera-De-Bruijn

Date sent: 2 June 2017
Date postmark: 2 June 2017
Date received: 3 June 2017
Number of days: 1
Envelope in collection: 138

Wateringen 2

After my visit to the post office in The Hague I went home quickly to visit the post office in my own village. Some years ago PostNL closed all post offices of its own, apart from one in The Hague and one in Amsterdam, and located them in book stores, supermarkets, cigar shops and even tank stations. In Wateringen the post office moved to Vingerling book store in the center of town.

Wateringen is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and is located on the southwest border of The Hague. In 1994 a quarter of its area was annexed by The Hague to build a new city district. Until 2004 it was a separate municipality and covered an area of 8,93 km². The former municipality of Wateringen also included the town Kwintsheul. The village of Wateringen has a population of around 10.860. The statistical area Wateringen, which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 13.880. Wateringen has a park in the town center (Hofpark) with an old farmhouse now in use as a cultural center. Other monuments include the windmill Windlust, the old town hall and protestant and catholic churches.

City/town: Wateringen
Municipality: Westland
Area:         90,58 km² (Westland)
Population: 106.752 (Westland, August 2017)
Website:         gemeentewestland.nl

Post office
Libris Boekhandel Vingerling
Vliethof 87-88
2291 RZ  WATERINGEN
vingerling.nl
(this book shop closed because of bankrupcy on 4 July 2019)

Date sent: 1 June 2017
Date postmark: 1 June 2017
Date received: 2 June 2017
Number of days: 1
Envelope in collection: 135

's-Gravenhage 62

On 1 June 2018, the first day the new datestamps were used, I left my work in The Hague ('s-Gravenhage) earlier to go to what used to be the central post office in the city center. There I got my first postmark on what was actually the first day of issue. As stamp I used the ATM label in the national tariff from the Post & Go machine in the post office. The stamp and postmark make therefore a perfect combination.

The Hague (Den Haag, 's-Gravenhage) is a city on the western coast of the Netherlands and the capital of the province of South Holland. The Hague is the seat of the cabinet of the Netherlands, the States General, the Supreme Court, and the Council of State, but the city is not the capital of the Netherlands, which constitutionally is Amsterdam. Most foreign embassies in the Netherlands and 150 international organisations are located in the city, including the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, which makes The Hague one of the major cities hosting the United Nations, along with New York City, Geneva, Vienna, Rome, and Nairobi. King Willem-Alexander lives in Huis ten Bosch and works at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, together with Queen Máxima. The Hague is also home to the world headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell and numerous other major Dutch companies.

City/town:        's-Gravenhage

Municipality:    Den Haag (The Hague)

Area:               98,12 km²

Population:      527.748 (August 2017)

Website:          denhaag.nl

Post office
PostNL Postkantoor
Kerkplein 6
2513 AZ  'S-GRAVENHAGE
(this post office closed on 14 November 2018)

Date sent: 1 June 2017
Date postmark: 1 June 2017
Date received: 2 June 2017
Number of days: 1
Envelope in collection: 136

Introduction

On 1 June 2017 PostNL introduced the new datestamps in all PostNL-locations in the Netherlands. The old ones were withdrawn on 1 january 2017 with the argument that all postal procedures and forms were now fully automated. Actually there were still forms, especially for customs, that required a datestamp, but that was carefully ignored.

This move turned out to be desastrous for stamp collectors. It was no longer possible to go to the post office and have stamps cancelled for your collection. Also when people wanted to send registered letters or packages with stamps on them, the post office should take a pen and cross out the stamps making them invalid for a collection. All national organisations of stamp collectors protested, eventually with succes.

Per 1 June 2017 all locations were issued a new datestamp. The difference with the old ones was that the datestamp only had the name of the town and a number, while the old datestamps had the name of the town and of the street where the post office was located. Also the new datestamps were smaller (34 mm in stead of 37 mm).