Alkmaar Holland

Alkmaar, Holland or Alckmaar, a well-built and fortified town in North Holland, of which it is the capital. It does the largest cheese trade in the Low Countries, besides enjoying a considerable share of other business. In 1573 the Spaniards laid siege to the place, but were obliged to abandon the attempt after ten years. The Duke of York, commanding an Anglo-Russian force, capitulated here in 1799 to the French.