Zwaag (; West Frisian: ''Swaegh'') is a village in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is located in the municipality of

Hoorn Hoorn () is a city and municipality in the northwest of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the largest town and the traditional capital of the region of West Friesland. Hoorn is located on the Markermeer, 20 kilometers ( ...

, 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 ...

and the region of West Friesland.

History

Zwaag was founded in the 13th century. The church tower is dated to around 1500. Originally, the population consisted of sailors and artisans. Zwaag was a town then, but it lost its

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the tradition ...

after prolonged disputes with nearby

. As of the 15th century, Zwaag was village of berry growers and dairy farmers. From 1900 onwards, more and more greenhouse were built for growing flowers. In 1979 it became part of Hoorn, in order for Hoorn to expand and take up surplus population 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 ...

. Most of the land that belonged to Zwaag is now urbanized and on places where no houses are built, industrial zones have sprung up.

Trivia

* The Dorpsstraat is the main road in Zwaag. * The annual

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

festival in Zwaag is one of the biggest in the northern parts of The Netherlands. * Notable people from Zwaag include

Marco Bizot Marco may refer to: People * Marco (given name), people with the given name Marco * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Tomás Marco (born 1942), Spanish co ...

Ed Beers Edward Joseph "Eddy" Beers (born October 12, 1959) is a Dutch-born Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 250 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was nearly a point per game player in his time in the NHL, but his NHL ...

Hans van Goor Hans van Goor (born 1970 in Zwaag, North Holland) is a retired Dutch long distance swimmer who won a silver medal at the 1993 European Championships. He also swam the English Channel on 4 September 1995 in a time of 8 h and 02 mins, whi ...

Marike Groot The Gathering is a Dutch rock band, founded in 1989 by brothers Hans and René Rutten and vocalist Bart Smits in Oss, North Brabant. The Gathering earliest releases were categorized as atmospheric doom metal with influences from extreme metal ...

and

Richard Tol Richard S. J. Tol (born 2 December 1969, Hoorn, the Netherlands) is a professor of economics at the University of Sussex. He is also professor of the economics of climate change at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is a member of the Academia ...

Gallery

Image:Raadhuis_Zwaag.jpg, Former town hall Image:NH-Kerk Zwaag.jpg, Dutch Reformed church Image:Zwaag3.jpg, ''Stolp'' farm

References

{{RefList Former municipalities of North Holland Hoorn Populated places in North Holland