Schermer

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Coordinates: 52.62° N 4.82° E
Schermer

Country	Netherlands
Province	North Holland
Area (2006)
- Municipality	64.44 km² (24.9 sq mi)
- Land	61.55 km² (23.8 sq mi)
- Water	2.89 km² (1.1 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2007)
- Municipality	5,137
- Density	83/km² (215/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website: www.schermer.nl

Schermer (West Frisian: Skirmare) is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

The municipality of Schermer includes not only the Schermer polder, but also the polders Oterleek and Mijzenpolder and Eilandspolder. Only the villages Stompetoren and Zuidschermer are in the Schermer polder.

1 History
2 Population centres
3 Local government
4 References

[edit] History

Schermer

Around 800 AD the area that now the municipality of Schermer was covered in peat, and a small river called the Schermer flowed through it. Because of peat-digging by man, and storm floods, this small river by 1250 had developed into an inland sea, a lake with open connection with the Zuiderzee. The name came from "skir mere", which means "bright lake" (ref. Groenedijk, 2000). In the 17th century private investors started draining the largest part of the lake — the Southern part of the lake, the Alkmaardermeer, was left alone. In 1635 47.7 km² of polder was drained, whereupon the country was divided under the initiators.

[edit] Population centres

The municipality of Schermer consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Driehuizen, Grootschermer, Oterleek, Schermerhorn, Stompetoren, Zuidschermer.