THE NETHERLANDS - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 414

Notes: The VVV tourist information office is situated on the south right-hand corner
of the railway station as you exit. (The train bringing you to Haarlem is headed in a
westerly direction as it enters the station.) The office is marked with an ample sign
reading VVV HAARLEM and cannot be missed.
Haarlem is close to Amsterdam, and this trip has the shortest travel time of any day
excursion described in this edition of Europe by Eurail . It is also one of the most
interesting.
Haarlem remained relatively undamaged by both world wars. What you find
there in the Grote Markt (Great Market), the old center of the town, has authentic
origins dating from the 13th century. Haarlem was put to the sword in July 1573,
when it fell to its Spanish besiegers and its citizens were butchered. Its devasta-
tion, however, was not on the scale that modern weapons could perpetrate.
With the release in 1976 of the motion picture The Hiding Place, the attention
of the world was drawn to a quaint little watchmaker's shop established in 1837 at
19 Barteljorisstraat in the heart of Haarlem. It was here in the shop and home of a
Christian, Opa ten Boom, and his family that Jewish refugees fleeing the wrath of
Nazi Germany were hidden for a time during World War II. A hiding place was built
in a bedroom where the refugees could go in case the Germans made a surprise
inspection. The ten Boom family operated the refuge for more than 18 months, until
they were betrayed on February 28, 1944.
At the time of the betrayal, six persons were concealed in the hiding place. They
escaped while the Gestapo was still in the house. The ten Boom family, however,
was imprisoned in a concentration camp for their acts of mercy. The ten Boom
house is now a museum. Entrance is free, but a donation is always graciously
appreciated. Hours: April-October: 1000-1530 Tuesday-Saturday; Novem-
ber-March: 1100-1500 Tuesday-Saturday. Visit www.corrietenboom.nl . Check
with the VVV for directions and details.
Amsterdam—Haarlem
Daily departures from Amsterdam Centraal Station at 12, 27, and 42 minutes after
the hour throughout the day; journey time, 16 minutes.
Daily departures from Haarlem Station at 02, 17, 32, and 47 minutes after the hour,
throughout the day; journey time, 15 minutes.