Publications by Wim Granneman
My lifelong fascination with the history of bulb cultivation has led me to explore everything from catalogs to historical accounts, always eager to uncover the stories behind the industry. This passion inspired my two books, Winterrust in het Oosteinde (2023) and De Zanderij van Six (2025), both available here for anyone curious about the rich heritage and stories of bulb cultivation.
Winterrust in het Oosteinde
een vergeten gebied in het noorden van Hillegom
[click image to enlarge]
Originally, the plan was to write an article for Hangkouseriën, the newsletter of the Vrienden van Oud Hillegom (Friends of Old Hillegom). But things quickly got out of hand. Eventually, Wim Granneman wrote a full book about the Oosteinde, the area north of the Oosteindervaart in his hometown of Hillegom. Winterrust, the flower bulb farm where Granneman grew up, serves as the central thread of his story.
“A forgotten area in Hillegom,” Granneman calls it. Many people are even surprised to learn that it belongs to Hillegom. According to him, everything north of the Oosteindervaart has always been more oriented toward Bennebroek. Children went to school in Bennebroek, local worshippers attended church there, and even everyday shopping was done in the neighboring village. Even the PTT – the predecessor of KPN – was unaware of the real situation and once assigned the houses in the area a Bennebroek area code: 02502 (now 023) instead of Hillegom’s 02520 (now 0252).
Winterrust in the Oosteinde, a forgotten area in the north of Hillegom (ISBN: 9789080668652) is available for purchase via this website, just contact me.
De Zanderij van Six
een deftig stukje Bollenstreek in Hillegom
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In “De Zanderij van Six” describes Wim Granneman the history of a very early, large-scale dune excavation near the center of Hillegom.
On the initiative of Hillegom’s lord, Jan Six II – mayor of Amsterdam – a substantial part of the easternmost coastal dune row was excavated in the 18th century. Wild lands were transformed into flat agricultural and horticultural fields, intersected by wide sand excavation canals. Over the following centuries, these lands would develop into the cradle of the bulb cultivation that became so important for Hillegom.
Major bulb companies from families such as Van Waveren, Van Til, Van der Schoot, and Veldhuyzen van Zanten established themselves along the former sand excavation lanes. The book extensively covers the history of these companies, the local residents, bulb cultivation, as well as more recent village developments in the area.
The book comprises 150 pages and features nearly 200 color illustrations. To purchase a copy via this website, please contact me.
unique hyacinth (bulb vases) and handmade oil paintings
The unique collection of hyacinth vases (bulb vases) belonging to Wim Granneman is for sale, as well as his handmade collection oil paintings, inspired by the vibrant flower bulb fields of the Bulb District (Bollenstreek) in Holland. The vase collection includes many more than shown on the website and is available as a whole or in sets, for instance by country of origin. Parts of the vase collection and oil paitings have been exhibited in various museums.
Interested? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.