|  These
places are well-connected to Amsterdam by train. In fact, the Schipol airport
is a mere 20 minutes train distance from Amsterdam central.
The town of Hoofddorp (meaning Main Village) belongs to the municipality of Haarlemmermeer.
The Schiphol airport lies to the east of this town. The city of Hoofddorp has
an interesting history. It was founded in 1853 when the Haarlemmermeer was drained
to accommodate two new villages.
Since
then, Hoofddorp has rapidly developed into an important town, due to its location
near the Schiphol airport. This town, together with the fast developing towns
of Nieuw Vennep and Badhoevedorp, forms part of the Randstad agglomeration. | 
When
in Hoofddorp, do try to visit the bus station at Spaarne
Hospital. This is the world's biggest structure built completely from
synthetic polystyrene foam and polyester skin! In the neighbouring Haarlemmermeerse
Bos, host of the Floriade agriculture and flower business in 2002, the show grounds
now host a very pleasant recreation park - a popular destination for walkers and
picnickers. It is a large park, right in the vicinity of the airport and stands
out because of the surrounding industrial landscape. 
One
can also visit the Historic Museum which describes the
history of the Haarlemmermeer right from its draining in 1852 till
date. The Cruquius Museum is an interesting sight too. It will give us a fair
idea of the Dutch struggle with water and land reclamation. The main attraction
is the large Cruquius engine, the steam engine with the cylinder with the largest
diameter (nearly 3.5 m) in the world.
