Zaandam
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Zaandam () is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811. It is located on the Zaan, close to the North Sea Canal, and is in close proximity to the capital Amsterdam.
The statistical district "Zaandam", which covers the village and the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 71,780.[1]
Zaandam was a separate municipality until 1974, when it became a part of the new municipality of Zaanstad.[2]
[edit] History
Zaandam and the surrounding Zaan River region, called the Zaanstreek, have a history that is intimately connected with industry. Zaandam was a leading city in the first Industrial Revolution. In the Golden Age, Zaandam served as a large milling center. Thousands of windmills powered saws that were processing Scandinavian wood for the shipbuilding and paper industries.
Zaandam is also historically linked with the whaling industry.
Into the second half of the 20th century, Zaandam was still an important lumber port. A statue was commissioned from the Yugoslav sculptor Slavomir Miletić in honor of this era, and the statue, “The Woodworker†(“De Houtwerkerâ€) was installed on June 20, 2004.
Peter I of Russia spent some time in Zaandam in 1697, studying shipbuilding. The house where he stayed is preserved as a museum, the Czar Peter House.
The first European McDonald's restaurant opened in 1971 in Zaandam.[3] The Albert Heijn supermarket chain is also headquartered in Zaandam, where it originated.
[edit] Notable people born in Zaandam
[edit] Transport
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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