CSM Suiker Fabriek

On a recent trip to the Netherlands I decided to have a mooch around what was once the site of a sugar factory in Halfweg, which is halfway between Amsterdam and Haarlem. The sugar factory had been built in the 19th century and was run by CSM Suiker Fabriek from 1919 onwards. It closed in the 1990s but is undergoing a transformation into "Sugar City" with new offices opened in two space-age towers next to the abandoned site. There \re plans to transform the area further. It is just opposite the train station, so it's convenient for public transport. Towards the back of the site is the canal, which was obviously important in transporting sugar and materials. 

The day that I visited was awful in terms of weather. It had rained solidly all afternoon and my camera got soaked during the fifteen minutes or so that I was there. In fact, it took over 24 fours for my "weather-proof" Pentax to recover! There was a huge damp misty patch on the inside of the lens, which has thankfully, now dried out!

The usual broken windows.

You can see the two new towers behind the rusty old tower. 

I liked the contrast between the old and the new here. The new towers are lit up at night (often different colours) and are a real landmark in the area.

The really poor weather and the fact that there were people on site, deterred me from getting a batter look at the place.

I decided to edit some of the photographs into mono, as it suits the mood and feel of the day that I visited. 

Despite not getting full access and the dreadful weather, I quite enjoyed having a closer look at this site, which I've passed by on several trips to Holland.