Museums
The Zaanse Schans offers a variety of fascinating museums. The Zaans Museum houses a magnificent collection of regional artifacts and presents an innovative variety of exhibitions. The museum offers a complete historical picture of life in the Zaanstreek combined with stunning views over the Zaandam landscape.
Small, specialized museums situated in heritage buildings in other parts of the Zaanse Schans to help bring to life the impressive history of the world's first area of industry.
SHOPPING
The shops are all situated in historical buildings and sell a wide range of carefully selected articles such as antiques and curiosities from the 'Het Jagershuis', 'luxury products, Delft Blue porcelain, nautical goods, jewelery and textiles from Souvenir and Gift Shop 'De Vrede'. Sweets, chocolate biscuits and bread from the Bakery Museum, not forgetting delicious cheese from Cheese Farm 'De Catherina Hoeve' and tasty mustard from the Mustard Mill!
Dutch traditional crafts are still in daily practice at the Zaanse Schans. With its historical atmosphere appropriate surroundings, what better place is there to see time-honoured skills as making wooden shoes, cheese or pewter. There are craftsmen still at work in the windmills at the Zaanse Schans demonstrating ingenious, centuries-old techniques. The possibility of witnessing the ancient production of oil, making pigments for paint, or wood being windmill-sawn is an unforgettable experience. Daily demonstrations take place in authentic Dutch barns and picturesque windmills. The Pewter Foundry is situated in a charming teahouse.
Fore more information visithttp://www.zaanseschans.nl/
WINDMILLS
A visit to the Zaanse Schans would not be complete without the opportunity to explore a genuine working windmill!
Revolutionary Invention
The cunning application of the crank shaft revolutionised the development of industrial windmills in the Netherlands. Cornelis Corneliszoon or Uitgeest, an inventor at the beginning of the Golden Age the principle applied for the first time with a floating sawmill in 1592. This process was so successful that timber production in the area rose by 3000 percent. With an abundance of wind and water and the close proximity of Amsterdam's important, global, commercial center the stage was set for the Zaan region to become the first industrial area in the world.
Of the thousand industrial windmills ever built along the banks of the river Zaan thirteen remain. Six can be found at the Zaanse Schans.
- Mustard Mill 'De Huisman'
- Sawmill 'De Gekroonde Poelenburg'
- Paint Mill 'De Kat'
- Oil Mill 'De Zoeker'
- Oil Mill 'De Bonte Hen'
- Sawmill 'het Jonge Schaap'