Zaanse schans informatie

Zaanse Schans is a neighbourhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk, Netherlands. It is best known for its collection of well-preserved historic windmills and houses. From 1961 to 1974 old buildings from all over the Zaanstreek were relocated using lowboy trailers to the area. The Zaans Museum, established in 1994 near the first Zaanse Schans windmill, is located south of the neighbourhood.

Zaanse Schans is one of those towns that are just a perfect Dutch postcard: think of windmills, wooden houses and green grass. With good reason, the Zaanse Schans windmills are one of the most famous tourist attractions in the Netherlands.The village itself is very small, so you don’t need a lot of time to explore it. However, if you want to do more than just sightseeing a guided tour is recommended so you can learn more about this charming place. Of course, going solo is also fine, as you can explore at your own pace.

What to do in Zaanse Schans?

Just walking around in the village admiring the iconic green wooden houses and the windmills in the distance is already great fun but there are a few things you definitely shouldn’t miss:

● Visit De Zaanse Schans Clog Workshop

This small museum / workshop / gift shop has free admission. Venture inside to see the “klompen-makers” in action.

● Behold the first Albert Heijn store ever!

Albert Heijn is one of the biggest supermarkets in the Netherlands and Zaanse Schans is home to the very first one to open in the Netherlands. It is a tiny building that still has the original furniture and fixtures from 1887.

● Venture inside a windmill

Most of the windmills are open to the public from April to October. Just pay a small fee and you can see the windmills at work, milling oil, flour, spices and pigments. Seeing the construction of the windmills from the inside and the way they work is extremely impressive and something you definitely don’t see every day.

● Satisfy your taste buds at the cheese shop

Here you’ll see and quite possibly catch a whiff of all kinds of local cheeses, jams and chocolates. The best part, you can taste them all!

● Pop into the local shops.

The village has a number of surprising local shops. Smells like chocolate is one of these delightful instances​ ​ where you can get a cup of hot chocolate made with chocolate from the region, homemade brownies and many other locally produced products.