Another fire broke out in the city in 1576. Unfortunately the Governor, his lieutenant and most of the soldiers that had defended the city for so long were executed by the victors. In July of 1573 the Spanish Army took control of Haarlem after a 7 month siege, but the inhabitants were allowed to buy their freedom provided they hosted a small contingent of Spanish soldiers. But the city had not yet had its share of disaster and the plague or “The Black Death” killed approximately half the inhabitants in 1381 Rebuilding was started immediately but there were 2 more city wide fires in 13 which burned the Counts castle to the ground and he donated the land to build a new town hall. A city mainly constructed from wood was always a risk and the inevitable happened and a great fire almost burned the city to the ground. Haarlem first became a city in the mid 13th century although the city walls were not built until some 30 years later. It is also popular with day trippers from Amsterdam due to it close proximity, (it is only 20 km away) to the capital. Indeed tourism is making up an ever increasing amount of Haarlem’s income, (it is also one of the main flower growing regions). It is a very historical city, with lots of picturesque old buildings to see. Haarlem is the capital of North Holland and has a population of just over 150,000 people.
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