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 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 ...

. Its main city is

Zaandam Zaandam () is a city in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811. It is located on the river Zaan, just north of Amsterdam. The statistical district Zaand ...

. 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 cas ...

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 want ...

, Koog aan de Zaan, Krommenie, Westzaan,

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. However, being surrounded by countryside and due to its relatively protracted shape that follows the river Zaan, a rural atmosphere is always nearby.

Railway stations in Zaanstad

* Koog aan de Zaan railway station (formerly Koog Bloemwijk) * Krommenie-Assendelft railway station *

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 statio ...

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 The Zaandam–Enkhuizen railway is a railway line in the Netherlands run ...

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 (formerly Koog-Zaandijk)

Local government

The municipal council of Zaanstad consists of 39 seats, which are divided as follows: PvdA (4), VVD (4), ROSA (4), POV (4), SP (3), DZ (3), GroenLinks (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 nin ...

(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 (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, t ...

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, ...

* 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 art and ...

* Anton Mauve (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 relat ...

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

(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 (1894–1973), children's writer and film pioneer IMDb Database
retrieved 18 May 2019 *

Aafje Heynis Aafje Heynis (2 May 1924 – 16 December 2015) was a Dutch contralto. In 1961, she was awarded the Harriet Cohen International Music Award. A tea rose, hybridised by Buisman 1964, was named after her. She died on 16 December 2015, aged 91. Di ...

(1924–2015), contralto *

Piet Kee Pieter William Kee (30 August 1927 – 25 May 2018) was a Dutch organist and composer. Biography Born in Zaandam, Netherlands, Kee studied organ, piano and composition at the Amsterdam Conservatory, obtaining the Prix d'Excellence, and won first ...

(1927–2018), organist and composer * Han Bennink (born 1942), jazz drummer and percussionist * Kathinka Pasveer (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 (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 (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 O ...

, 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 rep ...

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 wit ...

(1858–1930), physician and professor of physiology, joint winner the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine 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 nutrie ...

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 (1912–1976), rower and CEO of the supermarket chain Simon de Wit * Gerrit Jan Heijn (1931–1987), businessman with Ahold, kidnapped and murdered * Floris Takens (1940–2010), mathematician *

Willem Ouweneel Willem () is a Dutch and West FrisianRienk de Haan, ''Fryske Foarnammen'', Leeuwarden, 2002 (Friese Pers Boekerij), , p. 158. masculine given name. The name is Germanic, and can be seen as the Dutch equivalent of the name William in English, Gu ...

(born 1944), biologist, philosopher and theologian

Sport

Jaap Boot Jacob "Jaap" Boot (1 March 1903 in Wormerveer – 14 June 1986 in Dordrecht) was a Dutch athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres and the long jump. He competed for the Netherlands in the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France in ...

(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 o ...

* Jaap Kraaier (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-s ...

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

Mieke Jaapies Marie ("Mieke") Jaapies (born 7 August 1943) is a Dutch Canoe racing, sprint canoer. She competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics, 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics in 500 m singles and 500 m doubles. She won a silver medal in the singles in 1972 and fin ...

(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 19 ...

* Cees Stam (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 h ...

* Johnny Rep (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, and Ank ...

(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 (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 capab ...

(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 c ...

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 (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 ...

* Bilal Başaçıkoğlu (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