Volendam is a village in the northern part of the Netherlands, part of the municipality of Edam Volendam.
Volendam was originally a small port of Edam, situated at the mouth of the river IJssel. In 1357, the people of Edam built a shorter canal to Zuider Zee and a new port, so the old one was dammed and used for land reclamation. Local farmers and fishermen settled there, forming the new community of Volendam, which literally means something like “filled dam.” The majority of the population are Catholic and this religion is deeply linked to the culture of the people. Historically, many missionaries and bishops were born and developed in Volendam.
Everything to attract tourists. This was largely due to Leendert Spaander. In 1881 he opened the Spaander Hotel with rooms for artists. The visiting craftsmen were inspired by the local landscapes from wooden houses and boats and took away the “corner of Holland” on their canvases as free advertising. A few years after the opening of the “hotel for artists”, tourists flocked to Volendam who wanted to see the “real Holland” with their own eyes. Often, artists paid for their stay at the Spaander with their works. As a result, there is now a whole collection of paintings. The Spaander welcomes its guests, for the sake of persuasiveness there is a list of famous people at the entrance with the dates of their stay. The guests of the hotel were members of the royal families, Auguste Renoir, Eleanor Roosevelt, Elizabeth Taylor, Walt Disney, Kirk Douglas, Muhammad Ali, etc.
Volendam is a popular tourist destination in the Netherlands,In Volendam, like most small coastal settlements, all active life is concentrated on the waterfront. Cafes, restaurants, shops, souvenir shops have occupied the first floors of pretty houses standing in a row. known for its old fishing boats and because some residents still wear traditional clothing. The Volendam women’s costume features a high hat and is one of the best known of traditional Dutch costumes and is frequently featured on postcards and tourist posters.
Access : Coordinates: 52.499444, 5.0675 / The town is located to the south-east of the city of Edam, on the edge of the Markermeer, about 20 km north-east of Amsterdam.
/ You can get there from Amsterdam by public from the Central Station. Routes 110, 118, 312 and 316 go towards Volendam. A round-trip ticket costs 10 EUR, travel time is about 30 minutes. / cruise boats connecting Volendam and Marken Island.
Highlights :
- The main feature of the village is the bridges. Since the settlement is literally completely cut by canals, there are a lot of them. And all of them, even the tiniest ones, rise, and it is the lifting mechanisms of the bridges that are the most striking part of the cityscape
- There are three Protestant churches in the village: the oldest in 1658 – Stolphoevekerk, the newer, 1860 – the Church of St. Vincent (Vincentiuskerk) and the modern, 1957, consecrated in honor of St. Mary (Mariakerk). The very small Museum of Volendam is dedicated to the culture and history of the town.
- Monument “Klaassi and Klaassi” – bronze children, a boy and a girl sitting on a bench in Havenstraat, first appeared here in 1999.
- Stolpkerk, one of the three remaining stolphoeve churches in the Netherlands, this is the only one that is still (almost) completely authentic.
- Volendam traditional costume is well known and often fulfills the role of “national” costume in advertising and Holland promotion.
- The fishing village of Volendam is a very well-groomed cozy place where you want to settle.Most tourists come to Volendam to taste the famous Volendam herring and smoked eel
- Hotel Spaander is in perfect harmony with the surrounding houses and does not stand out in any way. It is interesting for its collection of paintings – those very first guests-artists sometimes paid the owner with their works. And there is also a list of famous guests, which in different years turned out to be Elizabeth Taylor, Walt Disney, Muhammad Ali and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Activities : sightseeing / photo opportunities / Buy Smoked eel at one of the smokehouses / shopping : Many tourist shops are along De Dijk.
In the Conijnstraat there is a market on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Go next : the nearby village of Marken in Zaanstreek-Waterland, North Holland, Netherlands / The Zaanse Schans : an open air conservation area and museum / Edam : a town in the province of North Holland. Its main claim to international fame is Edam cheese.
