Zaanse Schans

Michael_sgrant
Jun 8
2 min read

Updated: Jun 17

What could be more Dutch than visiting the windmills at Zaanse Schans...

If you visited the tulips at Keukenhof, most probably the next place on your list would be to see the famous Dutch windmills at Zaanse Schans. The windmill village Zaanse Schans is an open air museum that houses a collection of working windmills, wooden houses, barns and shops dating back to the 18th and 19th Century. All these buildings were brought here from 1961 on, bringing back to life this most prosperous period of the Zaan region.

Zaanse Schans is a neighbourhood in the Dutch town of Zaandam, near Amsterdam. Historic windmills and distinctive green wooden houses were relocated here to recreate the look of an 18th-19th-century village. The Zaans Museum has regional costumes, model windmills and interactive exhibits on chocolate making. Artisan workshops demonstrate rare handicrafts such as wooden clog carving, barrel making and pewter casting. The area was once home to over 600+ windmills, now just 10 remain...

Catharina Hoeve Cheese Museum:

Dutch cheese is definitely very famous, even more so in The Netherlands itself; you can find shops that sell (and offer free samples) in almost every street. Out here in Zaanse Schans amongst the windmills you can find the Catharina Hoeve Cheese Museum. Henri Willig has been producing the world's best Gouda cheese since 1974. Although production has been expanding over the years, expertise and passion for cheesemaking ensures the highest quality and unique flavours. the best part of visiting this is trying out all of the different cheeses, and yes, for free! In Zaanse Schans, the Catharina Hoeve is typical of Zaandam (on a side note it's the lego city of The Netherlands - make sure to visit the city hall and the hotel just opposite.)

Kooijman Souvenirs & Clogs Wooden Shoe Workshop:

Visit the clog museum annex wooden shoemaker shop here you'll watch traditional craftsmen at work, making clogs and other artifacts.