Ruigoord

Ruigoord
Ruigoord in 2007
Ruigoord in the municipality of Amsterdam
Coordinates: 52°24′34″N 4°44′56″E / 52.4095°N 4.7490°E / 52.4095; 4.7490
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Holland
Municipality	Amsterdam

Ruigoord (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrœyxoːrt]) is a village in the Houtrakpolder in the Dutch province of North Holland, situated within the municipality of Amsterdam. Until the 1880s, it was an island in the IJ bay, which was turned into a polder. In the 1960s, the municipality planned to extend the Port of Amsterdam. From 1972 onwards squatters occupied buildings and started a free zone. After resisting eviction in 1997, the area was legalized in 2000. The village is nowadays partially closed in by the port, and lies about 8 km (5 miles) east of Haarlem.^[1]