Zaanstad () is a Dutch municipality in the province of

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

, situated northwest of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. Its main city is

Zaandam Zaandam () is a city in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received City rights in the Netherlands, city rights in 1811. It is located on the river Za ...

. It is part of the

conurbation A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ca ...

and metropolitan area of Amsterdam. It had a population of in .

Topography

Population centres

The municipality of Zaanstad is a

itself and consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts:

Assendelft Assendelft () is a town in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad. Assendelft was a separate municipality until 1974, when the municipality of Zaanstad was formed. However, Assendelft didn't wan ...

Koog aan de Zaan Koog aan de Zaan () is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 11 km northwest of Amsterdam. History Koog aan de Zaan developed in the 16th century on the western bank of ...

Krommenie Krommenie () is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 15 km northeast of Haarlem. History Krommenie developed in the 11th century as a peat excavation settlement. In 1 ...

Westzaan Westzaan is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 13 km northeast of Haarlem. It is located west of Zaandam, Koog aan de Zaan and Zaandijk, southwest of Wormer, southea ...

Wormerveer Wormerveer is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 13 km northwest of Amsterdam. Wormerveer developed in the 15th century on the west bank of the Zaan river. It starte ...

Zaandijk Zaandijk () is a town in the municipality of Zaanstad, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It lies about 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) northwest of Amsterdam and had a population of 8,686 in 2017.Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ''Statline: Kern ...

. However, being surrounded by countryside and due to its relatively protracted shape that follows the river

Zaan The Zaan () is a small river in the province of North Holland in the northwestern Netherlands and the name of a district through which it runs. The river was originally a side arm of the IJ bay and travels 13.5 kilometers (8½ miles) through the m ...

, a rural atmosphere is always nearby.

Railway stations in Zaanstad

Koog aan de Zaan railway station Koog aan de Zaan (until 2016 Koog Bloemwijk) is a railway station in Koog aan de Zaan, Netherlands. Koog aan de Zaan was opened on 1 November 1869, on the Den Helder–Amsterdam railway The Den Helder–Amsterdam railway is a railway line in the ...

(formerly Koog Bloemwijk) *

Krommenie-Assendelft railway station Krommenie-Assendelft is a railway station in Krommenie and Assendelft, Netherlands. The station lies on the Den Helder–Amsterdam railway, and was opened on 1 November 1869. The station had a goods yard, but no longer does. The station had remain ...

Wormerveer railway station Wormerveer is a railway station in Wormerveer, Netherlands. The station was opened on the Den Helder–Amsterdam railway on 1 November 1869. The station is on the southern edge of the town, approx. 200m south of the river Zaan. Behind the station ...

Zaandam railway station Zaandam is the main railway station of Zaandam, near Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is at the junction of the Den Helder–Amsterdam railway and the Zaandam–Enkhuizen railway. History The first station was opened in Zaandam on 1 November 1869. Thi ...

Zaandam Kogerveld railway station Zaandam Kogerveld is a railway station located in Zaandam, Netherlands. The station opened in 1989 on the Zaandam–Enkhuizen railway. The station is 2 km north of Zaandam railway station, and is in the Kogerveld estate. This station is a suburb s ...

Zaandijk Zaanse Schans railway station Zaandijk Zaanse Schans railway station, until 2016 Koog-Zaandijk railway station, is a railway station in Koog aan de Zaan and Zaandijk, both neighbourhoods of the municipality of Zaandam, Netherlands. It is also the closest railway station to Zaan ...

(formerly Koog-Zaandijk)

Local government

The municipal council of Zaanstad consists of 39 seats, which are divided as follows: PvdA (4),

VVD The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a Conservative liberalism, conservative-liberalRudy Andeweg, Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingsto ...

(4), ROSA (4), POV (4), SP (3), DZ (3),

GroenLinks GroenLinks (, ) is a green political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and t ...

(3), D66 (3),

Party for Freedom The Party for Freedom ( nl, Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) is a nationalist, right-wing populist political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 2006 as the successor to Geert Wilders' one-man faction in the House of Representatives, it won nine ...

(3), CDA (2),

DENK Denk may refer to: People *Jeremy Denk (born 1970), American classical pianist * Michael K. Denk, Canadian professor of chemistry * Paula Denk (1908–1978), German actress *Ralph Denk (born 1973), German cyclist and cycling manager *Ulrike Denk ( ...

(2), Lokaal Zaans (2),

PvdD The Party for the Animals ( nl, Partij voor de Dieren; PvdD) is a political party in the Netherlands. Among its main goals are animal rights and animal welfare. Since 2019, the PvdD's political leader is Esther Ouwehand. With 3.8% of the votes ...

(1), CU (1)

Notable tourist attractions

Zaans Museum Zaans Museum () is a museum in Zaandam, Netherlands, located at the Zaanse Schans. It opened in 1998 to preserve and protect the heritage of the Zaan area. In 2009, the museum was extended with the addition of the Verkade Experience. In 2016, the ...

Zaanse Schans Zaanse Schans () is a neighbourhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk, Netherlands. It is best known for its collection of windmills and wooden houses that were relocated here from the wider region north of Amsterdam for preservation. From 1961 to 1974, o ...

* Czar Peter House *Gedempte Gracht, a shopping street in

Notable people from Zaanstad

The Arts

Rudolf Heinisch, Malermönch Jan Verkade, o

* Pieter Jansz. Saenredam (1597-ca.1665), a painter of the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and Dutch art, ...

Anton Mauve Anthonij "Anton" Rudolf Mauve (18 September 18385 February 1888) was a Dutch realist painter who was a leading member of the Hague School. He signed his paintings 'A. Mauve' or with a monogrammed 'A.M.'. A master colorist, he was a very signific ...

(1838–1888), realist painter, leading member of the

Hague School The Hague School is a group of artists who lived and worked in The Hague between 1860 and 1890. Their work was heavily influenced by the realist painters of the French Barbizon school. The painters of the Hague school generally made use of relati ...

Jan Verkade Johannes Sixtus Gerhardus (Jan) Verkade (18 September 1868 - 19 July 1946), afterwards Willibrord Verkade O.S.B., was a Dutch Post-Impressionist and Christian Symbolist painter. A disciple of Paul Gauguin and friend of Paul Sérusier, he belon ...

(1868-1946),

post-Impressionist Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction ag ...

and Christian

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

painter *

Piet Zwart Piet Zwart (; 28 May 1885 – 24 September 1977) was a Dutch photographer, typographer, and industrial designer. Biography Early life Piet Zwart was born on May 28, 1885 in Zaandijk. He trained as an architect, and began graphic design proje ...

(1885–1977), graphic designer, industrial designer and typographer *

Dick Laan Dick Laan (18 December 1894, Wormerveer – 6 October 1973, Heemstede) was a Dutch children's writer and film pioneer. He is best known for his Pinkeltje series. Early career Laan was the son of Jan Cornelis Laan and the grandson of Teunis C ...

(1894–1973), children's writer and film pioneer IMDb Database
retrieved 18 May 2019 * Aafje Heynis (1924–2015), contralto * Piet Kee (1927–2018), organist and composer *

Han Bennink Han Bennink (born 17 April 1942) is a Dutch drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, banjo and piano. Though perhaps best known as one of the pivotal fig ...

(born 1942), jazz drummer and percussionist *

Kathinka Pasveer Kathinka Pasveer (born 11 June 1959) is a Dutch flautist. Biography Kathinka Pasveer was born in Zaandam, The Netherlands, daughter of the conductor Jan Pasveer, who also taught at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Amsterdam Conservatory. She stu ...

(born 1959), flautist

Public thinking & Public Service

* Adriaan Pelt (1892–1981), journalist, international civil servant and diplomat *

Johannes Kleiman Johannes Kleiman (17 August 1896 – 28 January 1959) was one of the Dutch residents who helped hide Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. In the published version of Frank's diary, ''Het Achterhuis'', known ...

(1896–1959), resident who helped hide

Anne Frank Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...

and her family *

Hanneke Ippisch Hanneke Eikema (23 March 1925 – 15 April 2012) was a Dutch woman who, during World War II, helped ferry Jewish children to safety and assisted in the financial logistics of the Dutch resistance. Biography Eikema, the daughter of a Protestant ...

(1925–2012), member of the Dutch resistance in World War II *

Tom Viezee Tom A. Viezee (born 1950) is a Dutch Christian minister and former politician. As a member of the Reformatory Political Federation Viezee was a councillor of Alphen aan den Rijn from 1990 to 1999. From 1993 to 1994 he also was an alderman and from ...

(born 1950), Christian minister and former politician, Mayor of Zeewolde 1999-2004 *

Emine Bozkurt Emine Bozkurt (born 9 August 1967) is a Dutch politician of Turkish descent and Member of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2014. She is a member of the Dutch Labour Party, which is part of the Party of European Socialists. In the Eur ...

(born 1967), politician

Science & Business

Pieter Bleeker Pieter Bleeker (10 July 1819 – 24 January 1878) was a Dutch medical doctor, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He was famous for the ''Atlas Ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néêrlandaises'', his monumental work on the fishes of East Asia ...

(1819–1878), medical doctor,

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

, and

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

Christiaan Eijkman Christiaan Eijkman ( , , ; 11 August 1858 – 5 November 1930) was a Dutch physician and professor of physiology whose demonstration that beriberi is caused by poor diet led to the discovery of antineuritic vitamins (thiamine). Together with S ...

(1858–1930), physician and professor of physiology, joint winner the

Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according ...

in 1929 for the discovery of

vitamins A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrien ...

Cornelis Zwikker Cornelis Zwikker (19 August 1900 – 20 April 1985) was a Dutch scientist.E. G. van de Stadt (1910–1999), yacht designer *

Simon de Wit Albert Heijn is the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands with a market share of 34.8% in 2020. It was founded in 1887, and has been part of Ahold Delhaize since 2016. History The chain was founded on 27 May 1887, when Albert Heijn bou ...

(1912–1976), rower and CEO of the supermarket chain

Gerrit Jan Heijn Gerrit Jan Heijn (14 February 1931, Zaandam – 9 September 1987) was a Dutch businessman, who was a top manager of Ahold until his death in 1987. His grandfather was Albert Heijn, who founded the family business, and his older brother was al ...

(1931–1987), businessman with

Ahold Koninklijke Ahold N.V. was a Dutch multinational retail company based in Zaandam, Netherlands. It merged with Belgium-based Delhaize Group in 2016 to form Ahold Delhaize. History Growth in the Netherlands The company started in 1887, when Al ...

, kidnapped and murdered *

Floris Takens Floris Takens (12 November 1940 – 20 June 2010) was a Dutch mathematician known for contributions to the theory of chaotic dynamical systems. Together with David Ruelle, he predicted that fluid turbulence could develop through a strange attra ...

(1940–2010), mathematician * Willem Ouweneel (born 1944), biologist, philosopher and theologian

Sport

* Jaap Boot (1903-1986), athlete, bronze medallist in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

Jaap Kraaier Jacob "Jaap" Kraaier (November 28, 1913 – January 7, 2004) was a Dutch flatwater canoeist who competed in the 1930s. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, he won the bronze medal in K-1 1000 m event. Following his career in sports, Kra ...

(1913–2004), flatwater canoeist, bronze medallist at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

* Nicolaas Tates (1915–1990), canoeist, bronze medallist at the

Mieke Jaapies Marie ("Mieke") Jaapies (born 7 August 1943) is a Dutch sprint canoer. She competed at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics in 500 m singles and 500 m doubles. She won a silver medal in the singles in 1972 and finished in 6th-8th place in other thr ...

(born 1943), sprint canoer, silver medallist in the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

Cees Stam Cees Stam (born 2 November 1945 in Koog aan de Zaan) is a former Dutch track cyclist and four-time world champion stayer. Cees Stam was almost exclusively active as a stayer and at six-day races. In 1968 he became Dutch champion amateur sta ...

(born 1945), a former track cyclist and four-time world champion stayer * Toos Beumer (born 1947), swimmer, team bronze medallist at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

Johnny Rep John Nicholaas Rep (born 25 November 1951) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a right winger. He holds the all-time record for FIFA World Cup goals for the Netherlands with 7. Playing career Rep played as a right-footed ...

(born 1951), former footballer *

Annemarie Sanders Annemarie Sanders-Keijzer (born April 3, 1958) is an equestrian from the Netherlands, who won the silver medal in the Team Dressage Event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. She did so alongside Tineke Bartels, Ellen Bontje Petr ...

(born 1958), an equestrian, silver medallist in the Team Dressage

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Luc Nijholt Luc Nijholt (born 29 July 1961) is a Dutch football manager and a former player, who played for a number of clubs, both home and abroad. Nijholt began his career in the early 1980s with Haarlem, spending six years with the club. Nijholt was a me ...

(born 1961), football manager and a former player *

Ronald Koeman Ronald Koeman (; born 21 March 1963) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman. Koeman was cap ...

(born 1963), retired footballer and ex-manager of the

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

since 2020. *

Erwin Koeman Erwin Koeman (born 20 September 1961) is a Dutch retired professional football player and retired football manager. Personal life He is the son of Dutch international footballer Martin Koeman, and, alongside his younger brother Ronald, has also ...

(born 1961), retired footballer *

Wietse van Alten Wietse Cornelis van Alten (born 24 September 1978) is a retired archer from the Netherlands. Van Alten was born in Zaandam, in the municipality of Zaanstad. He has competed in archery since the age of seven. Van Alten's first major interna ...

(born 1978), an archer, bronze medallist

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

Bilal Başaçıkoğlu Bilal Başaçıkoğlu (born 26 March 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Turkish club Tuzlaspor. He formerly played for SC Heerenveen, Feyenoord and Kayserispor. Born in the Netherlands, he represented Turkey at under-21 ...

(born 1995), footballer

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Zaanstad is twinned with:

Gallery

File:Holland - Twee molens 1900.jpg, Zaanstad windmill at the beginning of the 20th century File:River Zaan.jpg, River Zaan File:Windmill museum Zaanstad.jpg, Windmill Museum, Zaanstad Image:Zaandam, sluis foto3 2011-04-17 16.05.JPG, Zaandam, sluice File:Assendelft, de Sint-Odulphuskerk RM39923 IMG 9872 2019-06-17 13.48.jpg, Assendelft, church: the Sint-Odulphuskerk File:Westknollendam, de Tapsloot IMG 1519 2017-10-15 11.14.jpg, Westknollendam, ditch: de Tapsloot File:Krommeniedijk, het fort bij Krommeniedijk IMG 9884 2019-06-17 14.37.jpg, The fort near Krommeniedijk

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Municipalities of North Holland