Stroomlijnboot Museum

The museum listed here under the name Stroomlijnboot is, in practice, the Edams Museum, the local history museum of Edam, a small harbour town on the former Zuiderzee in North Holland. It occupies two historic buildings in the centre, Het Coopmanshuys and the Stadhuis, and it tells the story of a town that is better known worldwide for its cheese than for anything else. The museum shows that Edam had a rich past as a centre of shipbuilding, trade and craftsmanship long before it became a name on a supermarket shelf.

The oldest of the two buildings is Het Coopmanshuys, a merchant's house from the sixteenth century. It is a tall, narrow canal-side building that is best known for its floating cellar, a basement that rests on a bed of water so that it rises and falls with the level of the groundwater, a clever solution to the problem of building on soft ground. Rooms on several floors are furnished with period furniture, and they give a feeling of how a prosperous family lived in Edam in the seventeenth century. The steep staircases and low doorways are typical of the period.

Shipbuilding is a major theme. In the seventeenth century, Edam had shipyards that produced seagoing vessels for the Dutch fleet, including ships for the East India Company, and the town's wealth was based on that industry along with the cheese trade. The museum displays models, paintings and tools from this period. The town's other trades, including ceramics, weaving and the work of notable families, are also covered.

The second location, the former town hall, adds paintings, portraits and objects from the civic life of the town. Together, the two buildings give a good overview of local history in a couple of hours. The museum is usually open from Tuesday to Sunday, with shorter hours in winter, so check the schedule before you go.

Edam has a charming centre with canals, drawbridges and gabled houses. The cheese market is held in the summer, when traders in white outfits show off the round cheeses in a traditional display, and the harbour area, windmills and church of Saint Nicholas are within walking distance. The museum suits families, history lovers and cheese fans alike.