The historic working windmills and open-air museum village at Zaanse Schans in Zaandam are a pleasant day-trip destination from Amsterdam in North Holland, the Netherlands.
Historic windmills are of course no longer part of the industrial infrastructure of modern-day Holland but images of a turning windmill are favorite tourist attractions in the Netherlands. Windmills are scattered throughout the Netherlands but the two largest collections of historical working windmills are at Zaanse Schans and at Kinderdijk. The ten historical windmills at Zaanse Schans are within easy reach of Amsterdam and make a great self-guided day trip or tour bus excursion from the Dutch capital. The nineteen windmills at Kinderdijk near Dordrecht and Rotterdam are included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list and are a popular day-trip destination from Dutch cities.
However, getting to Zaanse Schans is far easier from Amsterdam, especially when using public transportation. The additional buildings and museums at Zaanse Schans make the town a more interesting destination than Kinderdijk where the windmills — even though UNESCO listed and higher in number — are the only real attractions.
The ten large windmills at Zaanse Schans are mostly from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Most of the mills were moved to the banks of the Zaan River from the 1960s onwards to form an interesting ensemble. Several historic buildings were added in recent years to form an open-air museum-like appearance.
The lovely village at Zaanse Schans is not a formal museum or indeed an authentic historical village. Many buildings here have historical value but were moved here in order to preserve the buildings. Several house museums and traditional workshops.
De Zaanse Schans is mostly on public land and thus always freely accessible. The museum and mills charge admission — either pay separately or buy a Zaanse Schans Card that covers most admissions.
The first windmill along the Zaan River was erected in 1597. Through the centuries more than a thousand were built along the river and during the nineteenth century, 400 windmills were operated simultaneously along the Zaan River. An interactive map in the Zaans Museum shows the development of windmills in the region from 1597 until the last mills went into retirement in the 1930s.
Most of the windmills at Zaanse Schans were moved here from other places in the region while a few are modern reconstructions using traditional techniques.
When viewed from the bridge across the Zaan River, the ten large windmills at Zaanse Schans are from right to left:
Admission to each individual windmill is around €4.50 to €6. Each windmill at Zaanse Schans sets its own opening hours and opening days — some are rarely or never open to the public. The Zaanse Schans Card (€30) includes admission to any two mills, as well as the museums and workshops at Zaanse Scans.
The working windmills of Zaanse Schans are the main attraction but the historical buildings forming a small village are also interesting. Five museums are housed here — all covered by the Zaanse Schans Card (€30), or charged individually:
Several traditional Dutch crafts are demonstrated in historic workshops. Admission is usually free and often it is possible to follow a big tour group in to see a demonstration. Some of the crafts (ambachten) include cheese making (kaasmakerij), peanut butter (pindakaas), pewter making (tingieterij), the wooden shoe clog workshop (klompenmakerij), weaving (weven – €3), cooper (kuiperij – €3), and distillery (distilleerderij).
Most of these workshops also function as souvenir shops and get very busy at times. Zaanse Schans is a popular tourist destination and never pretends to be anything else. It copes well with mass tourism.
The majority of visitors to Zaanse Schans are on bus group tours and do not enter any of the venues that charge admission. They are not completely wrong, as the main attractions of Zaanse Schans are the windmills, historic houses, beautiful location, and the wonderful panoramic views of the windmills on the banks of the river.
The museums and other venues charging admission are often very quiet inside. These may be seen on individual tickets or are all covered by the Zaanse Schans Card — €30 for a day. It includes admission to the three museums, two windmills, the weaver’s house, and cooperage. It gives a 10% discount at the restaurant De Kraai (very nice pancakes) and reduces parking fees from €15 to €9.
As not all venues are open every day, it is sensible to check opening hours before buying.
See also By Train or Bus to Zaanse Schans in North Holland for general information, restaurant tips, and information on reaching Zaanse Schans on public transportation from Amsterdam, or book a day trip.