Schellingwoude is a neighbourhood of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

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 ...

. A former village located on the northern shore of the IJ, in the province of North Holland, it was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1857, when it was merged with Ransdorp; the latter merged with Amsterdam in 1921. Nowadays it is part of the Amsterdam-Noord borough and the Landelijk Noord district.

History

In order to stop the land loss caused by the

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 ov ...

, farmers began around 1200 to build the Waterlandse Zeedijk. On this dike the village Schellingwoude was founded. Sources of income were

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from fish stocking, stocked bodies of water such as fish pond, ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. ...

. During the 14th century

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exc ...

began to flourish, and took on greater importance in the 16th century, owing to the growth in shipping in this part of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former Provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

. Competition with Amsterdam was enormous, however, so commerce around shipping declined. In those days Schellingwoude was a village of distinction. For the surrounding villages the administration of justice took place in Schellingwoude. Schellingwoude1

In 1622 the population of Schellingwoude was 1,048; by 1809 this number had fallen to 684. The decline in the trade and shipping activities was the main cause of this reduction. Activities that remained were farming, fishing and some industrial activity. In 1800 Schellingwoude had two mills. An important complex of locks, the Oranje Locks, together with a steam pumping station, was ready in 1872. King Willem III had laid the first stone on 29 April 1870. The Oranjesluizen and the Schellingwouder Bridge, built in 1957 over the Buiten-IJ, are two landmarks at the east side of the village. With the arrival of the Oranjesluizen, Schellingwoude got a boost. The lock created new jobs and new houses were built. The village supported around five

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

at that time. The villages at the Waterlandse Zeedijk were extremely stricken by the

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

of 1916 and could not recover on their own: in 1921 Amsterdam incorporated the villages Buiksloot, Nieuwendam (with

Zunderdorp Zunderdorp () is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Amsterdam, and lies about 7 km northeast of Amsterdam. In 2001, the town of Zunderdorp had 237 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was ...

) and Ransdorp (with Schellingwoude, Durgerdam and Holysloot).The Schellingwouderdijk
on iamsterdam.com.

Church

Since the 14th century the village has a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

. The Schellingwouder church was built on a terp behind the dyke. The current church is dated from 1866. The church chest from 1659 has survived; important documents were once kept in it. The chest has a text engraved in memory of the people of Schellingwoude who stood up for their rights at that time. Other villages required Schellingwoude to pay more money for the upkeep of the Waterlandse Zeedijk. The resistance of Schellingwoude was successful. ''Schellinghwoud heeft over vijftigh jaer gestreden''
''Tegen ses dorpen en twee steden''
''De gemeendijck versocht en van dat hof verkreghen''
''In ‘t jaer sestien hondert vijftigh en negen'' Nowadays the church does not serve as a house of worship, but remains a popular wedding location.

References

{{Neighborhoods of Amsterdam Former municipalities of North Holland Amsterdam-Noord Neighbourhoods of Amsterdam