The first Anabaptists in the Netherlands were found both in the country and in the cities (Groningen, Leeuwarden, Hoorn, Alkmaar, Amsterdam, Leiden, Middelburg, etc.). Later on we find Mennonites in the cities and small towns engaged in business, as well as in the country. Mennonite farmers were found particularly in the provinces of Groningen,  Friesland, and North Holland, and many of them have been promoters both of new methods in agricul­ture and of cattle-raising. The Mennonite farmers of the Netherlands never founded special Men­nonite agricultural associations as they did in other countries, because the Dutch villages do not consist of Mennonites only (as, e.g., in Russia) and because most farmers do not live together in villages, but often have their farm buildings (boerderijen) on their own land. Special mention should be made of the flower-growers of Aalsmeer near Am­sterdam. Here the world-renowned nurseries that export roses and other flowers all over the world have for many generations been to a great extent owned or run by Mennonites; e.g., Eveleens, Hilverda, and Keessen.

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 307. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

©1996-2013 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.