Editing Lisse (section)

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Gem-Lisse-OpenTopo.jpg|thumb|left|140px|Topographic map of Lisse, 2015]]
The history of Lisse is closely related and similar to the neighboring towns of [[Hillegom]] and [[Sassenheim]]. Based on a document from 1198 which makes official mention of the town's name, Lisse celebrated its 800-year anniversary in 1998, although there is an indication that there was already a settlement there in the 10th century.

In the Middle Ages, Lisse was a small settlement; there were only 50 houses in 1500. Because of prolonged warfare (particularly the wars of [[Charles I, Duke of Burgundy|Charles the Bold]] and the [[Eighty Years' War]]), poverty was prevalent. Its population lived from [[agriculture]], [[animal husbandry]] and [[peat]] harvesting.

===Recent history===
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Lisse was, like [[Hillegom]], home to many [[Estate (house)|estate]]s of rich merchants and nobility. The forests and gardens of [[Keukenhof]], Meerenburg, Wildlust, Zandvliet, Overduin en Akervoorde, Wassergeest, Grotenhof, Ter Specke, Dubbelhoven, Rosendaal, Veenenburg en Berkhout, Middelburg, Ter Beek and Uytermeer estates all added to the town's beauty and glory.

Yet in the following centuries, every one of these estates (except Keukenhof) was removed to make way for the cultivation of [[bulb]] flowers. The sandy soil in Lisse's surroundings were highly suitable for its growth provided the soil was fertilised. The nearby [[dune]]s were excavated and forests cut down progressively over time for more fields for the flower business. This brought employment and prosperity to this area.

{{wide image|Lisse.JPG|750px|align-cap=center|Lisse town centre}}