Discover Marken: terps, stilt houses and local history

Water, terps and fishing

Marken shows how strongly water can shape the character of a village. After flooding brought agriculture and livestock farming to an end, the residents of Marken turned to shipping and, in particular, fishing. The increasing influence of the water forced them to live on raised terps; 13 of these so-called werven are still preserved today. When it was no longer possible to build on the terps, the residents constructed houses on stilts, in which only the upper floors were inhabited. Anyone planning a holiday apartment in Marken will find in this the historical key to the village’s distinctive character.

Historic houses and local traditions

In the historic centre of Marken, the Marker Museum is housed in six interconnected historic houses. The house has been preserved as it was left in 1982: with traditional clothing, a box-bed sleeping alcove and antiques collected by Sijtje Boes herself. Marken’s traditional costume is worn on days such as Koningsdag.

Het Paard van Marken

At the tip of Marken stands the Het Paard van Marken lighthouse. Because it is inhabited, it can only be viewed from the outside. The lighthouse dates from 1839 and formerly served to guide ships from the Wadden Sea to Amsterdam. It therefore points to the historical importance of shipping for Marken.

Walks through Marken

The “Around Marken” route leads over the characteristic terps, through typical Marken streets and through the atmospheric Kerkbuurt. The “Walk around Marken” audio tour includes eleven stops; a free app automatically plays the audio story as soon as you reach the relevant stop. This allows you to choose between a route focusing on the village landscape and a tour with audio stations.

Maritime history remains present in the harbour as well. Authentic Marker Botters, wooden fishing boats with flat bottoms and characteristic brown sails, are still moored there and maintained by the Stichting Marker Botters. At Klompenmakerij Marken, visitors can see how wooden shoes are made using an authentic steam engine.

Getting there, routes and choosing your holiday apartment

Marken was connected to the mainland by a causeway in 1957. The crossing on the Volendam-Marken Express between Volendam and Marken takes around 30 minutes. The centre of Marken is car-free; visitors park at the entrance to the village and continue on foot from there. Because the dike on Marken is being reinforced, large sections of the path along the foot of the dike are expected to remain closed until autumn 2027. When choosing a holiday apartment in Marken, you can therefore base your decision on the desired combination of local history, harbour and walks.

Further destinations

Further destinations for planning your trip: Purmer, Ilpendam, Watergang, Uitdam, Broek In Waterland, Monnickendam, Katwoude and Zuiderwoude.

To the main travel overview: Waterland.