Schellinkhout ( West Frisian: ''Skellinkhout'') is a village located in the municipality of

Drechterland Drechterland () is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. The municipality was formed in 1979, in a merger of the former municipalities of Hoogkarspel, Westwoud and Oosterblokker. Its o ...

, North Holland at the border of the IJsselmeer, about 3 km southeast of Hoorn in West-Frisia. It received city rights in 1402, among other (groupings of) villages in the West Frisian countryside, and thus never developed into a real city.

History

The city was first mentioned around 1312 as Scellinchout, and is a combination of "delicious forest" and "border". Schellinkhout developed in the 12th century as a

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...

excavation settlement. In 1282, a battle took place between Holland commanded by

Floris V, Count of Holland Floris V (24 June 1254 – 27 June 1296) reigned as Count of Holland and Zeeland from 1256 until 1296. His life was documented in detail in the Rijmkroniek by Melis Stoke, his chronicler. He is credited with a mostly peaceful reign, moderni ...

and the army of West Friesland. The former

Zuiderzee The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an o ...

(nowadays: IJsselmeer) kept taking land and the village moved to the east leaving the church close to the sea. In 1402, it was awarded city rights by Albert I, Count of Holland. This mainly meant that Schellinkhout had its own judicial district. In 1811 the old system was replaced by a new (French-styled) judicial system and Schellinkhout became its own municipality, except for the years 1812 to 1816 when Wijdenes and Oosterleek were merged with Schellinkhout. The Dutch Reformed church has 14th century elements. The tower was built in the early 16th century. The ''polder'' mill De Grote Molen was built between 1603 and 1638. In 1900, a motor was added, and by 1914, the pumping station had made the wind mill obsolete. Between 1979 and 1980, it was restored and is occasionally in service. Unlike most polder mills, it does not pump the water over the dike, but uses a pipe underneath the dike. Schellinkhout was home to 497 people in 1840. It was a separate municipality until 1970, when it was merged with

Venhuizen Venhuizen (; fy, Fenhúze) is a town in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia, in the municipality of Drechterland. Venhuizen was a separate municipality until 1 January 2006, when it was ...

. In 2006, it became part of the municipality of

. The meandering main road (Dorpsweg) counts 33 corners

Notable people

* Jan Jacobszoon May van Schellinkhout a Dutch seafarer and explorer, eponym of

Jan Mayen Jan Mayen () is a Norwegian volcanic island in the Arctic Ocean with no permanent population. It is long (southwest-northeast) and in area, partly covered by glaciers (an area of around the Beerenberg volcano). It has two parts: larger ...

* Cornelis Jacobsen Mey a Dutch explorer, captain and fur trader

Gallery

File:Schellinkhout, the beach.jpg, The beach of Schellinkhout File:Dorpsweg 107, Schellinkhout.JPG, Farm in Schellinkhout File:Dorpsweg 125, Schellinkhout.JPG, House in Schellinkhout File:Schellinkhout1.jpg, Houses in Schellinkhout

References

{{Authority control Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Drechterland