Zaanse Schans is a neighborhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk. It is best known for its collection of windmills and wooden houses that were relocated here from the wider region north of Amsterdam for preservation. From 1961 to 1974, old buildings from all over the region known as the Zaanstreek were relocated using lowboy trailers to the Zaanse Schans.
Two of the windmills in the Zaanse Schans are preserved in their original site where they were first constructed, and therefore don’t make up part of the relocated structures.
The Zaanse Schans is a delightful old hamlet on the banks of the river Zaan with characteristic green wooden houses, charming styalised gardens, small hump-backed bridges, tradesmen’s workshops, historic windmills and engaging little shops. This enchanting hamlet gives an excellent impression of how a typical Zaanse village must have looked like in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
You can easily get there via a 15 minute train ride from Centraal Station. The train system in Holland is quick and efficient. These are the best windmills we saw during our trip.
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