Zaandam Things to Do

Ik ben de bleeke dood.
Ik ben het einde van het leven.
Een ieder zij tot mij bereid
Door volop arbeid hier te geven.
Weet dat ik werk te allen tijd
1656..................................1956

I am the pale death.
I am the end of life.
Everybody be prepared for me
By working here
Know that i always work.

Here a view from De Zaan looking to the old wooden houses in Zaandijk. Zaandijk is the place where 'De Zaanse Schans"is situated, just at the other side over the bridge. From the bridge is a good place to make pictures from both sides. Old Zaandijk and "De Zaanse Schans.

Zaandijk is also the place where de Zaanse Schans is. This place is visit by many tourist from all over the world, especialy many Japanese tourist. It is 20 km from Amsterdam and in the cloce directions are Volendam, Alkmaar, Haarlem etc.

Here is the windmill De Kat, it is a working windmill you kan visit and look how they make paint.

Processing raw materials to make pigments
In 1646 paint windmill 'De Kat' was built at its present day site on the Zaan, later to become part of the Zaanse Schans. In 1782 the mill was destroyed by fire but was rapidly rebuilt again. At the beginning of the 1900’s, when windmills were being replaced by steam engines, the mill was demolished to the height of the platform. In 1960 the eight-sided paint mill 'De Duinjager' was removed from its former position owing to urban development and placed on top of the old storehouse of 'De Kat'. The mill is once again grinding raw materials such as chalk to make pigments for paints in the traditional time-honoured way.

This is a picture from the inside of windmill De Kat, you can see the giant wooden toothed wheel.

Windmill Society the Vereniging de Zaansche Molen
The preservation and conservation of the remaining windmills in the Zaanstreek is unquestionably the success of the Zaansche Windmill Society founded in 1925 by teacher and artist Frans Mars. He foresaw that due to the steam age windmills would loose their economic importance, would disappear from the area and an important element of Zaanse culture would be lost forever. The society’s first objective was to establish the Windmill Museum in 1928 and thereafter has gone from one success to another. At present the thriving society has commissioned the re-building of saw mill Het Jonge Schaap to become the sixth operational windmill at the Zaanse Schans.

This is oliemolen De Zoeker.

Oil Mill 'De Zoeker'
Pounding nuts and seeds to make oil
Oil Mill 'De Zoeker' was built in 1672 and stood for centuries in the Guisveld to the west of Zaandijk until 1968 when it was spectacularly moved to the Zaanse Schans. The eighteen ton octagonal body of the windmill was lifted by crane over power cables and a railway line and transported by boat to its present site on the eastern bank of the river Zaan. There it was set on a previously prepared base, on the site of an old windmill 'De Wind' which had been destroyed by fire. The transportation and re-location took a day and a night. A few months later 'De Zoeker' was again ready for use – grinding and pounding nuts and seeds to produce oil, the only one of its kind left still daily producing oil using traditional methods.

We have in de Zaanstreek also our own mustard, Zaanse Mosterd, it is making in this old windmill Molen De Huisman.

Mustard mil 'De Huisman'
“……een huisman tot berijder” (“…. a householder to rider”)
The prettily decorated board belonging to 'De Huisman' Mustard Windmill depicts a man sitting astride a chicken bearing the message ‘Hier kreeg een kippevrijer een huisman tot berijder’ succinctly referring to the merging of two separate windmills and a paper storehouse now joined together to form Mustard Windmill 'De Huisman'. Storehouse 'De Haan' has always stood on the Kalverringdijk, and in 1955 the eight-sided body, including cap and sails of old mustard mill 'De Huisman', salvaged from its original site, was placed on top of it. Two years later the working parts of spice windmill 'Het Indisch Welvaren' were fitted, and since 1961 'De Huisman' has become famous for producing and selling its delicious distinctive Dutch mustard.

This is the Wooden Shoe Factory ,where you can see how they make wooden shoes and can buy a couple for at home.

The Wooden Shoe Workshop
The Wooden Shoe Workshop is situated in another warehouse De Vrede, originally a 1780 storehouse from Westzaan serving as storage space for snuff and grain. De Vrede was moved to the Zaanse Schans in 1984. Part of the storehouse has been devoted to the Wooden Shoe Museum, one of the largest and most beautiful collections of wooden shoes in the Netherlands. There are daily clog making demonstrations and during the summer it is possible to see an authentic clog maker at work. The demonstrations take approximately 5 minutes and are given in many different languages and are, just as the Wooden Shoe Museum, free of charge.

In the shop clogs of all sizes and colours are for sale as well as many wooden shoe related souvenirs such as miniature clogs, key chains and money boxes. There is also a large range of typical Dutch souvenirs and simply-must-haves.

Opening times
1st March – 31st March Monday to Friday
8.45 a.m. – 5.45 p.m. weekends 8.45 a.m. – 6 p.m.
1st April – 30th September Monday to Friday
8 a.m. – 6.30 p.m. weekends 8.45 a.m. – 5.45 p.m.
1st October – 31st October Monday to Friday
8.45 a.m. – 5.45 p.m. weekends 8.45 a.m. – 6 p.m.
1st November – 28th February Monday to Friday
8.45 a.m. – 6 p.m. weekends 8.45 a.m. – 6 p.m
Christmas Day and Boxing Day 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
New Year’s Eve 8.45 a.m. - 4 p.m.
New Year’s Day 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.