Alexanderstad (municipality)

With approximately 3.5 million inhabitants, Alexanderstad (Kronenburgish: Alexanderstead, Aleksanderstead or - more popular - Sanderstead) is the largest municipality of Kronenburg. It includes the entire agglomeration of the capital, which is the city of Alexanderstad. The city became the capital of Kronenburg in 1873, after a bombardment by the U.S. had destroyed the old capital of Kronenburg-City almost completely two years earlier. Even now, one can notice in the city centre that Alexanderstad was actually founded in 1817 as a second harbour city next to Friescheburg. Large parts of this on the whole rather picturesque centre were destroyed in 1873 to make way for new parliamentary buildings and a large capital square. Typical are the still existing small streets and houses built before 1873. One peculiarity in the neighbourhood of the city centre is the Field of Farmer Harmsen; an old-fashioned rural field, but in the middle of the city.

The city is divided in three parts; the centre is located on the smaller island between the North Island and the West Island, but Alexanderstad has expanded to both those islands. On the North Island, Alexanderstad borders the city of Noordeinde. On the West Island, the city borders Friescheburg. The three parts of Alexanderstad are linked with each other by nine large bridges.

Architecture

Alexanderstad actually has a somewhat boring architecture and the city is quite industrial - the further you go from the city centre. Worth mentioning are the main building of the Royal University of Alexanderstad; the present building was built in 1922 and is famous for its many niches and peep-holes. Other tourist attractions are the terminal of the international airport of Alexanderstad on the north-eastern point of the West Island, but also three buildings used by the royal family: the royal palace of Willemsborg, the palace of Ballburen and the Royal Palace for Music and Theatre.

Willemsborg used to be the residence of kings Alexander I and II from 1834 until 1879. In the beginning of the twentieth century the royal family had to cede a large part of the neighbouring garden to the city of Alexanderstad, in order to make expansion of the city possible. Ballburen was built in 1932 for crown prince Alexander and crown princess Anna. It is in fact a large villa. Until 2005 it was inhabited by the then Grand Duke of Alexanderstad, the former king Alexander III Ernst. Recently it was thought that king Ernst I Frederik and his family would be going to live there, but after his earlier than expected accession to the throne in 2010 it was decided that they will be living in Willemsborg palace instead.

The Royal Palace for Music and Theatre is only partially the property of the royal family. Normally high ranking foreign guests stay there when they visit Kronenburg on invitation by the royal family or the government, but most importantly small theater companies and chamber music groups perform there; being able to perform in the Royal Palace for Music and Theatre is the highest honour an artist can get in Kronenburg.

Another attraction used to be the former parliamentary buildings, in the middle of the city. The buildings were constructed in 1882 in gothic style and looked a lot like a weird church with four wings, pointing in the four directions of the wind. In December 1999 the building burnt down completely and between 2007 and 2010 a new building was constructed after a design by the Cilogian architect Faus Kaarste.

Mayors

#	mayor of Alexanderstad	took office	left office	remarks
1	Willem Hendriksz	1872	1883
2	Hendrik Koster	1883	1899
3	Filip Rading	1899	1905
4	Jelle Simonsma	1905	1926
5	Oeds Tahlsma first time	1926	1938
6	Willem Bergsma	1938	1941
(5)	Oeds Tahlsma second time	1941	1950
7	Emma Wynolt-Jansma (f)	1950	1959
8	Jan Scheper	1959	1966
9	Richard Pijlman	1966	1974
10	Ubele Tamminga	1974	1980
11	Nicolaas Veldtman	1980	1981	Not the prime minister of the same name
12	Hans Somzen	1981	1997
13	Bea Jongstra-Evars (f)	1997	1998
14	Gerhard Bressas	1998	2005
15	Bert-Jan Sibranda	2005	2012
16	Maud Heirens (f)	2012	incumbent