Industrial Heritage

Just imagine: smoking chimneys, revolving sail arms on the windmills and the smell of freshly made produce such as biscuits and chocolate. Along the River Zaan it was a hotbed of industry in the 19th century. The Zaan region was the world’s first industrial estate and has left us a magnificent piece of industrial heritage. The world-famous shipbuilding prompted the Russian Tsar Peter the Great to spend a study week here in 1697. The house in which he stayed still exists. This is the ‘Tsar Peter House’, one of the oldest extant examples of Dutch timber constructions. Naturally it’s open to the public. The Zaanwand (‘Zaan Wall’) in Wormer, a row of old factories and storehouses, is a must see, as is the Zaanse Schans (‘Zaan Redoubt’) with its traditional Dutch wooden houses, mills and little shops. And so visit the Zaans Museum on the rise of industry, with a special pavilion for biscuit and chocolate factory Verkade. The authentic machines are still fully operational! The ERIH (European Route of Industrial Heritage) has created a number of exciting routes taking you past the industrial heritage of the Zaan region.