Well Preserved Traditional Dutch Neighborhood and Windmills - Zaanse Schans , Netherlands

When arriving in the Netherlands I knew very little about this country and I was not sure if one day it would become a place for me to live for a certain time. Nonetheless, to my surprise, the Netherlands has such a diversity of things to see and do. This country has so much to offer to the world. Windmills have always been fascinating to me. Something about them appeals to me, I can spend hours watching them, gazing at their beauty and their location. Whenever I see a windmill while on road trips or traveling in general, I literally cannot help but shoot photos and videos of it — the presence intrigues me.

The windmills are known as "Molen" in Dutch, The Netherlands. In the past, these windmills were used for 2 reasons: to drain water and make land usable; as well as to support agriculture and another purpose was the industrial purpose.

So, I had to visit Zaanse Schans where history along with the charm of ancient Dutch Windmills comes alive. This was one of those iconic sights where an individual can get the idea of how were these windmills built and what their purpose was back then.


20230505_161458.jpg

20230505_165715.jpg


I found this location while browsing social media. While scrolling through my social media I had basically stumbled on Zaandam City, the colorful architecture and bustling city of North Holland, Netherlands. While doing more reading I found a suggestion to visit Zaanse Schans. Therefore, while I was on my trip to Zaandam, it made sense for me to pay a visit to the Zaanse Schans too. Zaandam is located not far away from Amsterdam so after visiting Zaandam, I took the train to Zaanse Schans. I got all the information from the tourist information center because back then I was not familiar with the Netherlands rail system. This happened in 2023, and this tour is a memory now.

Zaanse Schans, located near Zaandam - a small town/ neighborhood in the province of North Holland, is a very picturesque village built up with preserved traditional windmills (Molens) and old buildings. It is situated across the Zaan River, about 15 km north of Amsterdam and also near Zaandijk town. So basically to go to Zaanse Schans, you have to walk through Zaandijk town. Zaan River divided these two neighborhoods. The train station is located near Zaandijk town. From the train station, I had to walk for around 20-30 minutes to reach the Zaanse Schans village. This village is a museum, an open-air version that lets tourists peek into the Dutch past, and tradition with its authentic windmills and historic wooden houses, barns, and workshops dating back to the 17th & 18th centuries. This small village is famous for its highly recognizable, green-painted wooden architecture that actually defines the Dutch countryside.


20230505_154223.jpg


So while walking to Zaanse Schans, I obviously took some photos of Zaandijk.

20230505_153840.jpg20230505_154034.jpg20230505_154249.jpg

20230505_153941.jpg20230505_153732 (1).jpg20230505_153846.jpg

The direction to Zaanse Schans was an easy, straight road. From far away I was able to see a glimpse of one windmill. During my walk to Zaanse Schans, I saw some something information on the walls about the Molen and Zaan areas. It was about mostly the history of the Zaan area and what to expect in the neighborhood.


20230505_154439.jpg

20230505_175512.jpg

Beautiful Zaan riverbank view - Zaandijk Side

20230505_155116.jpg

Zaanse Schans Side view from Zaan river

20230505_155247.jpg20230505_173303.jpg20230505_155346.jpg

Most of these photos I have taken from the bridge. Under the bridge near Zaanse Schans, there is also a walkway area from where anyone can enjoy the astounding view of both towns. I walked there and spent some time enjoying the beautiful view of windmills and the Dutch countryside.


Zaanse Schans


20230505_171856.jpg

20230505_155720.jpg



20230505_155637.jpg

After entering the Zaanse Schans neighborhood, I was so amazed by the distinctive green wooden houses. It felt unreal because such kinds of houses only belonged in my imagination, so seeing them in front of me was something surprising yet realistic. The village was beautiful, so clean and organized like a picture. Surely the entire trip will take you to explore the history of the 17th and 18th centuries. I was able to feel the history of the Dutch countryside. With hundreds of windmills operating along the river, this region was a hub for wind-powered industries once.


Now this village is carrying that industrial history and culture. History says that due to modernization, this region; especially windmills and wooden traditional houses were at risk of being extinct. So to preserve the history, the Zaanse Schans neighborhood was born and became an open-air museum. Several buildings from the surrounding area were relocated to create a living museum giving visitors a taste of traditional Dutch life.


20230505_155910.jpg

20230505_155530.jpg20230505_155834.jpg20230505_155842.jpg

Collection of beautiful photos of the village

It was cold but fortunately not rainy—a normal chilly Dutch day, so I could not complain. Most of the wooden houses in this village have been converted into souvenir shops, museums, coffee shops, and bars. Some of these picturesque green wooden houses have been very well maintained and serve just as an attraction to visitors; some few people still live there, but most of the houses are now used as museums.

I strolled around, enjoying the atmosphere while sitting in the front house gardens. The gardens were still green and nice, though not in flowering season, thus making the village more peaceful and calm.


20230505_155913.jpg

20230505_155817.jpg

20230505_160145.jpg


The village side was big, it took quite some time to walk around the village. There is also a cheese shop and a wooden shoemaker factory. At the cheese shop, I was able to learn about cheese and taste different kinds of cheese. The wooden shoemaker store basically displays how traditional wooden shoes called Klompen were made. It was interesting to watch.


20230505_160205 (1).jpg

20230505_160208.jpg


Found these cuties there, they don't care about the people and are very friendly.

20230505_155817.jpg20230505_155943.jpg20230505_160005.jpg

During summer this place gets crowded due to tourists. I was there during spring but still, there were tourists. I enjoyed my time there close to nature even though it's a famous tourist spot.

20230505_155946.jpg

20230505_155612.jpg20230505_161218.jpg20230505_161041.jpg

It's the best option for people who love the countryside and want to get involved in the rural way of life, and at the same time, enjoy the peaceful beauty of nature. I have to say, I was not very interested in the historical aspect but simply carried away by the very picturesque, postcard-like view. For that moment, one could very easily imagine being transported back in time to the 17th or 18th centuries as though one was part of a living and very vivid painting.

20230505_155854.jpg20230505_171828.jpg20230505_155925.jpg

These photos are reminding me I should go back there again...

Anyway, the last part- here comes the windmills.

20230505_163822.jpg

20230505_165903.jpg

20230505_161548.jpg


Among a thousand windmills, only a few of them are standing there proudly today and carrying the whole history of the 17th and 18th centuries, only one of them is running and open for tourists to visit (of course I visited). Around 1920, there were only 20 windmills left of the 1000 and that made the Zaan district the oldest industrial area in the world. Now this society owns only 13 windmills, all well preserved and in good condition and located within this Zaan district. Some of these Molens were used for making pigmentation, grinding spices, sawing woods, and making paper. The one I visited was Paint Molen where I saw how Molens make natural pigmentation. I will make a separate post for it.


20230505_165609.jpg

20230505_165715.jpg

20230505_164355.jpg20230505_165736.jpg20230505_164932.jpg

I took a bunch of photos...

20230505_164106.jpg20230505_163723.jpg20230505_161712.jpg

Tourists can also take boat rides trip on the Zaan River and can enjoy the picturesque view. The entrance fee of the Molen was 5 euros per person back then which I visited. It stays open for a limited number of people.

20230505_165741.jpg20230505_161839.jpg20230505_154203.jpg

All the windmills together from far away look very nice and leave a unique experience for the visitors. This small town is a symbol of the Netherlands as well as displays the historical culture of the community's past.

20230505_171416.jpg


Would you be interested in visiting such a beautiful and scenic village?



Love

Priyan...



I am @priyanarc.... An architect, a dreamer, and a passionate writer who loves to write about life. I try to present my own perspective and experiences. Please leave your feedback and criticism because it's the only way I can know and reach your mind and thoughts easily...



Find me on:


The author captures all images used...



0
0
0.000

26 comments

Would I? Damn well, I would want to see this with my asked eyes.

It felt unreal because such kinds of houses only belonged in my imagination.

I felt the same way and said the same thing to myself, and seeing as it was written here just brought a smile to face. The pictures are just not of this world, but in reality, they are, and that's what makes them jaw-dropping. Hehe

The village was beautiful, so clean and organized like a picture.

Yeah, it sure is. Everything is just superb!

  • I have to say, I was not very interested in the historical aspect.*

Lol, you are not, but you gave us a free loaded history lesson of the Windmill (Molens). Well done, amiga.

0
0
0.000

I felt the same way and said the same thing to myself, and seeing as it was written here just brought a smile to face.

It was a surreal feeling and I somehow had no idea that people used to live in such beautiful areas back in time. I felt like I still needed to learn a lot. Those wooden houses were just gorgeous, they actually justified the beauty of the village.

Lol, you are not, but you gave us a free loaded history lesson of the Windmill (Molens). Well done, amiga.

I was always less interested in history because I could not remember the precise time, date, and all those dynasties and historical moments. Still, I hate it when it comes to remembering very precise historical facts except architecture. 🤣 Architectural moments for me are easy to remember but when it comes to recalling kings queens dynasties or civilizations, I cannot remember a single piece of info...🤣

Thank you for checking my post, I truly appreciate it...

0
0
0.000

That's incredible! The beauty of the village and its sunny is surreal indeed.

😅😅 your brain seems to like remembering that, then. Regarding the Queen and Kings dynasties, I get you.

Thanks for sharing, too 😊.

0
0
0.000

What a beautiful place, it looks like a fairytale scenario, I loved taking that walk between mills, mediaeval streets, green fields and cute sheeps. ❤️🤩

0
0
0.000

Absolutely, it was really nice being there in the middle of nature and history. I had no idea about Dutch architecture before so this place was eye-opening and also an educational place for me. Fairytale village...

I hope you are doing well, thanks a lot for your time...

0
0
0.000

It's a beautiful tour, it's like visiting a film set. But it's a real place, it's a very beautiful place.

Thanks for sharing, take care.

0
0
0.000

It's a beautiful tour, it's like visiting a film set.

Exactly and it was nice to see such a picturesque location that mostly feels unreal. I had a great time strolling around and watching such historical windmills... They are very old...

0
0
0.000

The windmills looks super cute and traditional 😍😍

0
0
0.000

Yes, they are very old and traditional. I visited one of them, went inside, and got to see the details. It's very interesting...

0
0
0.000

Hiya, @lauramica here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Travel Digest #2288.

Your post has been manually curated by the @worldmappin team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!

Become part of our travel community:

0
0
0.000

There are some seriously beautiful places there. I loved the riverbank photos and how nice to see some windmills! Holland is so famous for them.

Enjoy the weekend as best you can and here's a song...

0
0
0.000

How did you find such a cute video? Really enjoyed it...

I loved the riverbank photos and how nice to see some windmills! Holland is so famous for them.

Yes, I took those riverside photos from the bridge and the view was stunning. Yes, Holland is so famous for these Molens because they are very old and well-preserved. I visited one Molen that makes pigment still now and it was so nice to see the interior and mechanism.

I hope you had a great weekend...

Cheers my friend...

0
0
0.000

!LOL

STOP THE ABUSE ON HIVE

FAKE HIVE POLICE

HIVE IS DEAD

HIVE IS ONE BIG FARM

!LOL !WEED !MEME !VSC $BBH !discovery 35 !GIF !BBH !hiqvote !ALIVE !DOOK !PGM !LUV !PIMP !LOLZ !BEER !PIZZA !LADY !FUN !HUG FOR !DOOK GINA @CRIMSONCLAD

60 votes
slobberchops [-]
gogreenbuddy [-]
cmplxty [-]
shanibeer [-]
antisocialist [-]
azabu [-]
acram64 [-]
mypathtofire [-]
willowranger [-]
bscrypto [-]
dhedge [-]
aaronkroeblinger [-]
lichtkunstfoto [-]
memehub [-]
chekohler [-]
modernzorker [-]
carn [-]
earthsea [-]
pinkhub [-]
kaylinart [-]
and 40 more

https://hive.blog/hive-104387/@bpcvoter3/se19g2

Downvoted BY HIVE FARMERS

slobberchops (81)in #life • 6 days ago
The_commentphant.jpg

6 days ago in #life by slobberchops (81)$0.00
Reply 3
Sort: Trending
[-]bpcvoter2 (-5)(1) 4 days ago · Will be hidden due to low rating
NO DOWNVOTES FOR MARKY MARK'S SELF VOTING !WEED

https://hive.blog/life/@slobberchops/re-gogreenbuddy-sdr1wb

https://www.publish0x.com/the-dark-side-of-hive

https://www.reddit.com/r/stoptheabuseonhive/

https://peakd.com/hive-164833/@bilpcoinbpc/you-have-all-witnessed-this-account-being-downvoted-to-a-negative-reputation-for-no-reason

SHAME ON YOU ALL SAD PEOPLE WHO SCAM LIE AND FARM HIVE AND HIVERS

[-]acidyo (82) 3 months ago
Haha at "I shouldn't make commercial" :D Maybe something to worry about when you have more youtube subscribers! Quite interesting content though, these things should get more subs on there and here.

$4.28
1 vote
Reply
[-]gogreenbuddy (67) 3 months ago
Yeah thought that was funny too

$4.54
4 votes
gogreenbuddy: $4.47
acidyo: $0.06
holbein81: $0.01
koleso: -$0.00

https://hive.blog/life/@gogreenbuddy/i-had-to-give-up-on-my-gabion-fencing-too-much-work

@themarkymark @buildawhale @upmyvote @ipromote @gogreenbuddy @usainvote @punkteam @makerhacks @apeminingclub @leovoter @blockheadgamds @rollingbones farm @cwow2 @solominer @steevc @adm @abit @theycallmedan @dalz @abh12345

HE MAKES CURATION REWARDS WITH ALL HIS ALT ACCOUNTS BURNING TOKENS LIKE THIS DOES NOT TAKE OLD TOKENS IT MINTS NEW ONES AND BURNS THEM

https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@bilpcoinbpc/the-power

https://www.bilpcoin.com/hive-167922/@bilpcoinbpc/the-power

https://www.bilpcoin.com/hive-167922/@bpcvoter1/response-4-to-themarkymark-marcus-buildawhale-usainvote-ipomote-leovoter-gogreenbuddy-and-over-100-of-his-alt-accounts

Reply 2 to @eddiespino

Reply to @eddiespino

cwow stop the drink and drugs

Stop supporting the fake Hive police who do nothing but exploit Hive

Many people on Hive will never get to spend any of their Hive as it may become illegal in certain countries


https://peakd.com/hive-158694/@bilpcoinbpc/marks-dream

Zac the man with the scam plan

lol the Marky mark keeps dreaming

Looking at Hive from the outside, it looks like trash let just be honest there are issues. Not many people would be interested in coming to Hive to read blogs let's be honest

GET HELP STOP CRYING

WE CAN NOT HELP YOU

ARE YOU OK

Hello Marky, are you ok do you need help, are you facing mental health challenges?

It's crucial to seek help. Continual dishonesty can erode trust and your mental health. Downvotes do not have an impact on us, but our consistent sharing of accurate information is key to us.

Marky stop getting butt fucked LOL.

themarkymark (80)in #computers • 11 hours ago
I'm doing great dude, I'm not here crying with 100 spam posts a day that my butt hurts. Touch some grass, go see a shrink. Get your life in order.

11 hours ago in #computers by themarkymark (80)$0.00

https://hive.blog/computers/@themarkymark/re-bpcvoter1-sfi1bm

Bilpcoin Gems High-risk Low-risk Super Trump (ticker: Strump) Corgi with knife (ticker: Corgi) Engines of Fury (Ticker: Fury)

Let's talk

Rider jim

Make today great

Decentralized or centralized

Bilpcoin Vibes

Tomorrow may never come, so seize the day seize the moment

Love life, be happy

[-]themarkymark (80) yesterday (edited)
Farming? Show me where I am farming, I post like one post a month at this point, and all buildawhale is burned. As you say transactions don’t lie. And don't say curation rewards, I'd get those no matter what I vote on and if you expect I will be the only person on this blockchain to forfeit curation rewards, you are dumber than we know you are.

https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@bpcvoter1/seq7ok

https://www.bilpcoin.com/undefined/@bpcvoter1/response-3-to-themarkymark-marcus-buildawhale-usainvote-ipomote-leovoter-gogreenbuddy-and-over-100-of-his-alt-accounts

https://hive.blog/hive-193084/@bpcvoter1/response-2-to-themarkymark-marcus-buildawhale-usainvote-ipomote-leovoter-gogreenbuddy-and-over-100-of-his-alt-accounts

!LOL !WEED !GIF !MEME

https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@themarkymark/re-bpcvoter1-sepr9c

You don't seem it. I've seen this before, it isn't good.

21 hours ago in LeoFinance by themarkymark (80)

[-]bpcvoter1 (-2)(1) yesterday · Will be hidden due to low rating
NO DOWNVOTES FOR MARKY
$0.00Reply Edit
[-]themarkymark (80) 16 hours ago
Please talk to your doctor about adjusting your meds. I’m worried about you.

$0.00Reply
[-]bpcvoter1 (-2)(1) 27 minutes ago · Will be hidden due to low rating
We are fine
$0.00Reply Edit Delete

https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@bpcvoter1/senppv

https://hive.blog/life/@anomadsoul/re-gogreenbuddy-seqf1p

60 votes
slobberchops [-]
gogreenbuddy [-]
cmplxty [-]
shanibeer [-]
antisocialist [-]
azabu [-]
acram64 [-]
mypathtofire [-]
willowranger [-]
bscrypto [-]
dhedge [-]
aaronkroeblinger [-]
lichtkunstfoto [-]
memehub [-]
chekohler [-]
modernzorker [-]
carn [-]
earthsea [-]
pinkhub [-]
kaylinart [-]
and 40 more

https://hive.blog/hive-104387/@bpcvoter3/se19g2

Downvoted BY HIVE FARMERS

slobberchops (81)in #life • 6 days ago
The_commentphant.jpg

6 days ago in #life by slobberchops (81)$0.00
Reply 3
Sort: Trending
[-]bpcvoter2 (-5)(1) 4 days ago · Will be hidden due to low rating
NO DOWNVOTES FOR MARKY MARK'S SELF VOTING !WEED

https://hive.blog/life/@slobberchops/re-gogreenbuddy-sdr1wb

Just going to leave my response to the one out of thousand previous comments you left today.

People only tolerate you for the votes
Interesting, considering I don't vote anyone.

You vote on you're own spam comments every day @buildawhale to earn curation rewards. There are many authors on Hive whom you could support, but you choose not to you keep it to yourself don't you Marcus? You are no good Marcus.

I used to vote over 200 unique authors a day, many of which my vote was their only significant vote, and for over a year every post and every vote I would make would get downvoted for $50 because someone was sad I stopped the abuse they were voting on. I lost my ability to choose what I vote on years ago. It has finally stopped, so I started the burn posts to reduce the inflation due to the wreckless DHF spending. Of course I earn curation rewards, like every single person on Hive. I will not be the only person on Hive to forfeit curation rewards, and to expect that is ridiculous. You are one to talk about spam comments, you are spamming hundreds if not thousands of comments a day.

2 days ago in LeoFinance by themarkymark (80)$0.00

https://hive.blog/hive-167922/@themarkymark/re-bpcvoter1-setz65

Response 4 to themarkymark marcus, buildawhale usainvote ipomote leovoter gogreenbuddy, and over 100 of his alt accounts

Reply 2 to @eddiespino

Reply to @eddiespino

cwow stop the drink and drugs

Can't you see the problems on Hive?

Hive dropping to $0.000

Posted using Bilpcoin

LOL

It seems like THEMARKYMARK is dealing with some personal drama and mental issues, which might be causing them to spam us and others with baby pics, GIFs, and questionable content he's been doing the same for years. The fun doesn't stop there, as this seems to be a recurring theme with multiple online personas. The real question is, do we want to trust these drama-magnets with our hard-earned funds or any significant influence on Hive?

On Hive a significant issue exists with automatic upvotes consistently rewarding the same individuals day in and day out

We want to address the issue of downvoting. It has caused pain to many people, and we want to make sure it doesn't happen again reply to @jacobtothe

On Hive a significant issue exists with automatic upvotes consistently rewarding the same individuals day in and day out

We hope that those who genuinely care about Hive will reconsider their actions, as continuing down this path could inadvertently harm innocent users who are unaware of these issues

lol the Marky mark keeps dreaming

Marks dream

https://www.publish0x.com/the-dark-side-of-hive/the-marky-mark-marcus-its-clear-youre-deeply-engaged-in-farm-xmjodol

WE PRAY FOR YOU

Posted using Bilpcoin

https://www.bilpcoin.com/undefined/@bpcvoter1/lol-the-marky-mark-keeps-dreaming

lol the Marky mark keeps dreaming

themarkymark (80)in FreeCompliments • 2 days ago
No.

I downvote spammers, you are a spammer, you get no monies. It’s very simple.

In the meantime go get some help. You obviously have some issues going on.

2 days ago in FreeCompliments by themarkymark (80)$0.00
Reply 4
Sort: Trending
[-]bpcvoter1 (-4)(1) yesterday · Will be hidden due to low rating
GET HELP
$0.00Reply Edit
[-]themarkymark (80) 4 hours ago
I have a personal chef, maid, and a captain for my yacht. What other help do I need?

$0.00Reply

https://hive.blog/hive-140084/@themarkymark/re-bpcvoter1-sg5l3x

@gogreenbuddy THIS MAN IS A TOP HIVE FARMER AND SCAMMER SOME OF HIS OTHER ACCOUNTS @THEMARKYMARK @BUILDAWHALE @USAINVOTE @UPMYVOTE @LEOVOTER @IPROMOTE @PUNKTEAM @CWOW2 @STEMGEEKS AND 100s more

https://www.publish0x.com/the-dark-side-of-hive

Upon examining our posts, you will notice they have been downvoted, and we've been labeled as scammers and spammers, which we find amusing. We consistently share new content

https://hive.blog/a-i/@worldhelper/chatgpt-100percent-hp

it's so, so concerning to see Blocktrades delegating 2+ million Hive power to Buildawhale, and Buildawhale is downvoting legitimate content

0
0
0.000

Hello priyanarc!

It's nice to let you know that your article won 🥉 place.
Your post is among the best articles voted 7 days ago by the @hive-lu | King Lucoin Curator by deepresearch

You and your curator receive 0.0122 Lu (Lucoin) investment token and a 4.41% share of the reward from Daily Report 392. Additionally, you can also receive a unique LUBROWN token for taking 3rd place. All you need to do is reblog this report of the day with your winnings.

2.png


Invest in the Lu token (Lucoin) and get paid. With 50 Lu in your wallet, you also become the curator of the @hive-lu which follows your upvote.
Buy Lu on the Hive-Engine exchange | World of Lu created by @szejq

If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP or to resume write a word START

0
0
0.000

Congratulations, your post has been added to WorldMapPin! 🎉

Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!

Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to WorldMapPin
  • Click the get code button
  • Click on the map where your post should be (zoom in if needed)
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post (Hive only)
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!

0
0
0.000