Zaanse Schans

There is no doubt that the main symbol of the Netherlands is tulips. Everyone knows about it, and the country is often associated with this flower. Yet Holland is windmills, ancient and beautiful giants fascinating with their appearance.

Even now, you can see windmills in different parts of the country. They are well-preserved, stand like monuments of a bygone age, and add colour to an already attractive landscape.

In Amsterdam, there is one place where you can see many mills at once, know the type they refer to, how they work, what they produce. After all, windmills made not only flour but also butter. Besides, they are not just a decorative element but an operating mechanism that successfully keeps working: grinds, crumbles, saws. Everything is available to see in an open-air museum in the village Zaanse Schans.

At first glance, the village is small. However, be ready to spend a whole day here. Firstly, you can come into all mills and see their mechanism, what they produce, how everything is done. On the facades, the windmills have plaques with historical information and other intriguing details.

Secondly, the village has about 30 houses, and almost each of them is a museum, a workshop or a souvenir shop. There are museums of mustard, watches, decorations, cocoa, copper, soap. The museum of klomps (national wooden shoes) is especially attractive. You can see how the fashion of dyeing these shoes has changed and also take part in a master class to manufacture some.

Thirdly, Zaanse Schans is beautiful. It feels like you got from a noisy metropolis to a cosy Dutch village of the 17th century where you find yourself curious to study every house.

Not for nothing, citizens of Amsterdam say that Zaanse Schans is the most picturesque place in their region.