Zaandam
| Zaandam | |
|---|---|
| City | |
|
Windmills at the Zaanse Schans in 2007 | |
  Zaandam | |
| Coordinates: 52°26′N 4°50′E / 52.433°N 4.833°ECoordinates: 52°26′N 4°50′E / 52.433°N 4.833°E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | North Holland |
| Municipality | Zaanstad |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Total | 76,804 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
Zaandam (Dutch pronunciation: [zaːnˈdɑm]) is a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811. It is located on the Zaan, nearby the North Sea Canal, and it is close to Amsterdam.
The statistical district Zaandam, which covers the city and the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 76,804[1]
Zaandam was a separate municipality until 1974, when it became a part of the new municipality of Zaanstad.[2]
History
Zaandam (formerly called Saenredam) and the surrounding Zaan River region, called the Zaanstreek, share a history that is intimately tied into industry.
In the Dutch Golden Age, Zaandam served as a large milling centre. Thousands of windmills powered saws that were processing Scandinavian wood for the shipbuilding and paper industries. A statue was commissioned from the Bosnian Serb sculptor Slavomir Miletić in honour of this era, and the statue, “The Woodworker” (“De Houtwerker”), was installed on 20 June 2004.
Zaandam was a leading city in the first Industrial Revolution. Into the second half of the 20th century, Zaandam was still an important lumber port.
Zaandam is also historically linked with the whaling industry.
In 1697, the czar Peter I of Russia spent some time in Zaandam, studying shipbuilding. The house he stayed in has been preserved as a small museum, the Czar Peter House.
In 1871, the impressionist painter Claude Monet lived in Zaandam for approximately half a year. During that time, he made 25 paintings of the area, including Bateaux en Hollande pres de Zaandam and A windmill at Zaandam.
The first European McDonald's restaurant opened in Zaandam in 1971.[3] The Albert Heijn supermarket chain is also headquartered in Zaandam, but contrary to what many people think, it did not originate there; instead, it was founded in the neighbouring municipality of Oostzaan in 1887.
Football club AZ (Alkmaar Zaanstreek) was founded in Zaandam on May 10, 1967.
Transport
Gallery
Zaandam, church (Oostzijderkerk) in the street
Zaandam, sluice
Zaandam, church: de Sint Bonifatiuskerk
Photo: Niels Kim
Notable people born in Zaandam
- Jan Saenredam (1565–1607), copperplate engraver
- Anton Mauve (1838–1888), painter
- Jan Verkade (1868–1946), painter
- Kees Bruynzeel (1900–1980), wood merchant, yachtsman and t builder
- Arie Smit (born 1916), painter
- Piet Kee (born 1927), organist and composer
- Han Bennink (born 1942), jazz musician
- Hendrik Lenstra (born 1947), mathematician
- Johnny Rep (born 1951), football player
- Kathinka Pasveer (born 1959), flautist
- Erwin Koeman (born 1961), football player and football coach
- Ronald Koeman (born 1963), football player and football coach
- Robert Molenaar (born 1969), football player
- Ali Bouali (born 1981), rapper
- Harm van den Dorpel (born 1981), conceptual artist
- Patricia van der Vliet (born 1989), model
- Oğuzhan Özyakup (born 1992), football player
- Melissa Venema (born 1995), musician
- Isabel Onrust (born 1998), Smite player
References
- 1 2 Municipality of Zaanstad, Zaanstad in cijfers . As of 1 January 2017.
- ↑ Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2006.
- ↑ McDonald's International (Press Release), "Fascinating McFacts about McDonald's International", 1996.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zaandam. |
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Zaandam. |
- J. Kuyper, Gemeente Atlas van Nederland, 1865-1870, "Zaandam". Map of the former municipality, around 1868.