Oostereiland

Hoorn is a town on the former Zuiderzee in North Holland, and in the seventeenth century it was one of the great ports of the Dutch Republic. It was the seat of a chamber of the Dutch East India Company and the base of the Admiralty of the northern quarter, and its ships sailed to Asia, Africa and America. Its sailors left their mark on the world map. In 1616 the Hoorn navigator Willem Schouten, sailing with Jacob Le Maire, rounded the southern tip of South America and named it Cape Horn after his home town. The town's wealth is still visible in the gabled houses, the great harbour tower and the fine buildings around the market square.

Oostereiland, the Eastern Island, is a part of this maritime story that is easy to overlook. It was built in the 1660s as an artificial island in the harbour, made from mud and silt dredged from the harbour basins and shaped into new land. The aim was to provide more space for shipbuilding, warehouses and housing as trade grew, and it became a working district for the shipping industry. The island contained homes, workshops and storehouses, and it had facilities for the Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier. It was connected to the mainland by a series of drawbridges, until a fixed bridge replaced them in the late nineteenth century.

Today the island is a quiet residential district, with small brick houses lining narrow streets, with water on all sides, and with a village-like atmosphere only a few minutes from the busy centre. The architecture is modest, in contrast to the grand merchants' houses of the main town, since these were homes for sailors, craftsmen and workers. A walk around the island gives views of the harbour, the boats and the old warehouses across the water, and it is a good place to appreciate the layout of a seventeenth-century port. Because it is a public district where people live, visitors should keep noise down and respect privacy.

Hoorn has many other sights within reach. The Hoofdtoren, the heavy defensive tower at the harbour mouth, the Waag, the old weigh house, the market square and the Grote Kerk are all close, as are the waterfront and the museums. Excursions by boat and a steam train between Hoorn and Medemblik operate in the season, and the old Zuiderzee coast is excellent for cycling.

The island suits history lovers, photographers and anyone who likes quiet corners. A walk takes half an hour, and it combines well with the harbour and the old centre. There are no opening hours or fees, since it is an ordinary street area.