The Zaanse Schans Shipyard
The Zaanse Schans authentic houses, the historic shipyard, the clog-making demonstrations and, above all, the windmills, attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Original shed of ship yard Brouwer at the Rustenburg in Zaandam end of the 18th century.
The path leads through the marshy polderland, over a narrow bridge, to the ship-yard. A ship's carpenter is at work here. Beyond the barn is a small wind-mill 'De Windhond'. This used to be a crushing-mill, used for pulverising old millstones. There you will see ship's carpenter Schuitenmakerij (Address: DE KWAKELS 2, Phone: +31 (0)75 6702312).
Prosperity peaked in the Zaanstreek during in the Holland's Golden Age in the 17th century. Zaan timber was used in countless shipyards. The Dutch East and West Indies Companies were established in 1602 and 1621 respectively. By 1670 the Dutch fleet had some 15,000 vessels - five times the number of the English, giving them a vital trading monopoly around the world. Craftsmen of all types moved into the area including tin founders, boat builders and sail makers. The flourishing, cosmopolitan Zaanstreek became prosperous and so well-renowned as a centre of innovation that even the Russian Tsar Peter came here in 1697 - incognito - to learn as much as he could about shipbuilding. Zaan merchants travelled throughout the world trading in East Asia and the West Indies. Sawmills flourished to such an extent that millers became shipbuilders and went into the whaling industry resulting in Zaandam becoming one of Europe's foremost whaling centres.