Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans is an open-air museum and living neighbourhood on the Zaan river, in Zaandam, just north of Amsterdam, and it is one of the most visited places in the Netherlands. It is a collection of historic wooden houses, windmills, workshops and barns, set along the water and arranged to give an impression of life in the Zaan region in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Most of the buildings were moved here from elsewhere in the area from the 1960s onwards, to save them from demolition, so the village is an assembled one, but it is set out with care and shows the distinctive Zaan style, with green-painted wooden facades and white trim.

The windmills are the stars. The Zaan region was one of the first industrial areas in Europe, and in the eighteenth century there were hundreds of windmills here, about six hundred at the peak, that ground grain, pressed oil, sawed timber, made paint, ground spices and produced mustard. A few survive at the Zaanse Schans, still in working condition, and some can be visited. Inside, you can see the huge wooden gears and shafts turn as the sails catch the wind, and you can learn how each type of mill worked. De Hoope is one of the windmills, and there are boat and walking tours of the surroundings. Windmill tours are available at set times, and tickets are normally sold per mill, so check which you want to enter.

The crafts and food are another reason to visit. The clog workshop shows how wooden shoes are made, and the cheese farm, Catharina Hoeve, offers daily cheese making demonstrations and samples, while the Zaans Museum places the region's history in context, including its famous companies. The Czaar Peterhuisje is a small wooden house in Zaandam where Tsar Peter the Great stayed in 1697 while learning about shipbuilding, and the story of his visit is a popular footnote in local history. Craft demonstrations, a pewter workshop and bakery stalls bring the village to life.

The site is open to wander for free, but individual attractions charge, and a Museum Card or I amsterdam City Card may give access to some. It is reached from Amsterdam Central Station by train in about twenty minutes and a short walk, and it is open daily, with seasonal hours for the individual buildings. Summer weekends and school holidays are very busy, and tour groups arrive around midday, so go early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

The village suits families, photographers and first-time visitors who want to see windmills and traditional crafts in one place. Allow three to four hours, and wear comfortable shoes for the walks between the sights.