Zaanse Schans by Rene Geensen
Zaanse Schans is a recreated 18th and 19th-century residential area of the Zaanstreek region. Many typical Zaanse houses here were brought from other parts of the region to give visitors an insight into what Dutch villages looked like in the 18th century. The site also features a shipyard, a wooden shoe factory, a bakery museum, and a replica of the first Albert Heijn supermarket. Outside Zaanse Schans, in Zaandam, is the oldest wooden house in the Zaanstreek region, the Czaar Peter House, which is now protected by a stone structure. Tsar Peter the Great lived in this wooden house at the end of the 17th century. The windmills are the most striking feature of Zaanse Schans. There are twelve windmills on the Schans, and four more are in the adjacent vicinity.
Most of the windmills were moved to the area in the last century, while some were already there. The Zaanse Schans Association owns all the twelve mills on the Schans and is responsible for their maintenance and operation. The mills and the associated museum are open to visitors from all over the world. The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday, and the windmills have varying opening times. Visitors should not miss the bakery museum, where they can enjoy the aroma of freshly baked bread and cakes. They can also take a look inside the warehouse where clogs are made, and explore the cheese factory and the tin foundry.
Zaanse Schans is a unique part of the Netherlands, full of wooden houses, windmills, barns, and workshops. Visitors can go cycling or sailing, browse the shops, or indulge in a treat at the pancake restaurant. A day out at Zaanse Schans is both fun and educational, providing an excellent glimpse into Dutch history.
The Zaanse Schans was named after the river Zaan and its history as a defensive fortification during the Eighty Years' War. Today, a visit to the Zaanse Schans is a journey through time, with every cabin, museum, and room bearing witness to centuries of history. In the 17th century, more than 600 windmills were built in the Zaanse Schans area, making it one of Europe's most prosperous and busiest industrial regions. These windmills were used for a variety of purposes, including grinding spices and producing paint, wooden planks, and oil. Some of these windmills still exist and can be visited today, offering a glimpse into the past. From the outside, the windmills look serene, their blades turning slowly against a backdrop of vast meadows. But inside, the mills worked hard to produce goods shipped and sold to merchants daily. The creaking, toiling wood, and moving parts of the mills formed an impressive spectacle, where wood was sawn, and oil, flour, spices, and dyes were ground. Visitors can climb the narrow stairs to the deck of the mill for a beautiful view and see how the industry has developed since the 18th century.
