Holiday apartment in Edam – Cheese history and historic routes

Edam combines the history of an important trading town with cheese-making traditions, distinctive buildings and the former defensive lines around Fort bij Edam. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Edam was one of the most important trading towns in Holland. Shipbuilding and the cheese trade in particular brought the town great prosperity. To this day, Edam is known for its round Edam cheese, which has been exported from Edam to destinations around the world for centuries.

Cheese, the market and the town’s history

The opening and closing of market day at the Edam cheese market is marked by the ringing of a bell. In the town centre, the Edam Museum tells the rich history of Edam at two historic locations. One of these locations is a late Gothic merchant’s house, considered the oldest brick-built house in Edam and constructed between 1540 and 1550.

At Jan Nieuwenhuizenplein 5 stands the Kaaswaag, a building with a hipped roof topped by a roof turret with a cupola. Its façade features a stone bearing Edam’s coat of arms and the year 1778. The Kaaswaag Edam also houses a permanent exhibition on the art of cheese-making. The Story Of Edam Cheese is an experience in Edam that conveys the history of Edam cheese from the past to the present day.

Architecture between the harbour and the townscape

De Toekomst is a cheese warehouse built around 1890 in the Neo-Renaissance style on the Nieuwe Haven in Edam, within the protected townscape. It is considered a rare and well-preserved example of a cheese warehouse from the second half of the 19th century, with cultural, architectural and typological historical value. At the western end of the Voorhaven lies the Damsluis, a historic vaulted structure built in its present form between 1795 and 1798. Two heraldic stones dating from 1701 are set into the quay walls to the east. The Speeltoren is the tower of the former Kleine Kerk, or Church of Our Lady; its brick shaft dates from the 15th century, while its octagonal sandstone lantern dates from 1568–1569.

Fort bij Edam and the surrounding polders

Fort bij Edam was built at the beginning of the 20th century as the north-easternmost part of the Stelling van Amsterdam. Its grounds, including the original salvage or storage shed and the fort keeper’s house, the surrounding field of fire and the adjoining polders serving as an inundation area, have remained almost untouched. Fort bij Edam has developed into a breeding and habitat area for many species of birds and land animals.

Walking, cycling and getting there

The 350-kilometre LAW Waterliniepad starts in Edam and runs along the former defensive lines of the Stelling van Amsterdam and the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie. The Hollandse Waterlinies route guide presents a walking route and a cycling route in each of the nine regions, where the UNESCO World Heritage Site is clearly visible; the area stretches from Edam to Giessen. From Amsterdam, EBS bus route 314 travels towards Hoorn and stops at the bus station in Edam.

Choose a holiday apartment in Edam to suit your travel plans

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Edam, the focus of your stay can provide useful guidance: the Kaaswaag, the museum and the historic buildings are ideal for a cultural and historical stay, while the fort, polders and waterline routes offer different discoveries. You can choose your holiday apartment based on whether you would like to focus on Edam’s cheese history, architecture, nature or longer routes.

Another local idea: Volendam

For the overview of the wider area: Edam-Volendam.