Heemskerk ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

The municipal council of Heemskerk consists of 25 seats, which are divided as follows:

The negotiations are finished and the PvdA, CDA and VVD wil govern together

It is not certain where the name of Heemskerk comes from. The town was already known during the Middle Ages. In an official deed from the year of 1063, the town was known as Hemezen Kyrica, Latinized Frisian meaning Church of Hemezen, a Frisian nun who lived in a religious house there. Heemskerk knows many historical monuments, among them the Huldtoneel (lit. the "Inaugurate Stage"), an artificial hill located near the current Rijksstraatweg, where once the Counts of Holland where inaugurated. According to tradition, the Huldtoneel was used before the Roman Era as a Germanic sanctuary. In the nineteenth century Jonkheer Gevers finally made the Huldtoneel a monument - as it is known today - and ordered passers-by to honour the monument.

Frederike Johanna Maria "Femke" Heemskerk (born September 21, 1987 in Roelofarendsveen) is a Dutch swimmer who mainly specializes in freestyle, but also has a strong backstroke and medley.

As part of the Dutch team, she holds the world record 4×100 m freestyle relay on both short course and long course. In short course she is also part of the Dutch team who holds the 4×200 m freestyle relay world record. Individually she is owner of five national records, two in long course, 200 m freestyle and 200 m individual medley, and two in short course, 200 m freestyle, 200 m backstroke and 200 m individual medley.

Femke Heemskerk made her international debut at the World LC Championships 2005 in Montreal as a relay-swimmer. She only swum in the heats of the 4×100 m freestyle and the 4×200 m freestyle events. She competed in the European LC Championships 2006 and the European Short Course Swimming Championships. But individually she did not advance past the heats in both events.

At the World LC Championships 2007 she won a bronze medal in the 4×100 m freestyle together with Inge Dekker, Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Marleen Veldhuis. At the European Short Course Swimming Championships 2007 in Debrecen she surprisingly finished 6th in her first international final, the 100 m freestyle. She also finished 10th in the 200 m freestyle.