Zaanse Schans, Noord Holland 11th May 2008

Enjoying the sunny day and long weekend, we decided to visit Zaanse Schans one of the famous tourist destinations in Holland.

The area was named 'De Zaanse Schans' after an entrenchment which was erected in 1574 to hold back Spanish troops at the beginning of the Eighty Years War between the Netherlands and Spain. People work and live in the Zaanse Schans: they feel at home in the area and keep alive the glory which this industrial district saw in the golden age. Visiting the Zaanse Schans, you will see a situation characteristic of the landscape of that district until late in the nineteenth century. The dikes were probably built as early as the thirteenth century, the first villages were built along these at a later date. Until late in the last century these were typical 'dike-villages'.

There is an "outdoor" museum displaying a typical working farm along with windmills and barn animals, definitely worth the time spent.