{"id":9164,"date":"2024-03-05T11:46:36","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T10:46:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zaanseschans.com\/history\/"},"modified":"2024-05-31T11:54:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T10:54:09","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.zaanseschans.com\/en\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History"},"content":{"rendered":"

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EXPERIENCE TRADITIONAL HOLLAND<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

History of the Zaanse Schans<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\u2018De Saen anno 1850\u2019 (Peter Sterkenburg – oil on panel)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Members of \u2018Zaans Schoon\u2019 in 1952, with Frans Mars in the middle and Jaap Schipper on the far right \u2013 <\/em><\/span>the Zaanse Schans would never have come about without these visionaries…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

THE \u2018SCHANS\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

The origin of the name<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>

The idea for the Zaanse Schans first originated in 1947. Post-war innovations meant that Zaan-style timber buildings, with their typical facades, crown posts and overlap cladding on the walls, were in danger of vanishing forever.<\/p>\n

Mayor Joris in \u2018t Veld came up with the idea of relocating historic houses. Architect Jaap Schipper drew up the design and found the ideal site in the Kalverpolder, while Frans Mars, educator and painter of the renowned mill panorama, suggested the name \u2018Zaanse Schans\u2019.<\/p>\n

This name refers to the \u2018Kalverschans\u2019, a hexagonal fortification intended as a means of defending the terrain.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

The Kalverschans was the site where the Zaan residents, the \u2018Zaankanters\u2019 (Zaansiders), led by Diederik Sonoy, successfully resisted the Duke of Alva\u2019s Spanish troops during Pentecost (Pinksteren) in 1574. As a reward for their courage, the brave fighters received an extra day off. This \u2018Third Pentecost\u2019, called \u2018Pinksterdrie<\/em>\u2019, is a tradition that dates back to the Eighty Years\u2019 War and is still celebrated in the Zaan region today.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Diederik Sonoy, who was appointed governor of North Holland by William of Orange in 1572<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

More than 400 years of history<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>

The Zaanse Schans encompasses a rich, 400-year history. The oldest oil mill (De Zoeker) dates back to 1609, and the oldest house (Het Jagershuis) in the mill village was built in 1623.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the region\u2019s history, a number of mills have stood on the dike where the Zaanse Schans is now situated. Of these, only \u2018De Bonte Hen\u2019 now remains. The first mill to arrive in the Zaanse Schans in 1955 was \u2018De Huisman\u2019. The first house followed a few years later. The project progressed rapidly after this, with Queen Juliana officially opening the Zaanse Schans in 1972.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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