Discover Westzaan: Windmills, Monuments and Polder Landscape

Holiday apartment in Westzaan among windmills, the village centre and polder landscape

Westzaan is a linear village about six kilometres long, with Kerkbuurt as its centre. The protected villagescape of Kerkbuurt features architecture typical of the Zaanstreek from various periods of construction: windmills, wooden houses, industrial heritage and nineteenth-century villas. A holiday apartment in Westzaan therefore leads to travel planning in which village history and polder landscape stand side by side.

Historic buildings and traditional craftsmanship

The Grote Kerk Westzaan was built between 1740 and 1741 onto a Gothic tower dating from around 1300. ’t Reghthuys is a Dutch national monument; watercolours and oil paintings inside show what Westzaan looked like in earlier times. ’t Reght Huys is located in the protected villagescape of Westzaan.

The Zuidervermaning also tells the story of the village’s architectural history. It is a Schuurkerk built in 1731 and one of Westzaan’s oldest buildings. Inside is a Smuiger fireplace typical of the Zaanstreek, decorated with 328 tiles.

De Schoolmeester is the world’s only wind-powered paper mill where Zaansch Bord is still produced. Paper is made there by shredding textile waste such as rags, old rope and fishing nets. The Zaansch Bord produced there is used for cards, in bookbinding and by artists.

Het Prinsenhof stands at the end of the Relkepad in the Westzijderveld and is one of the last hulling mills in the Netherlands. It was built in 1722 and spent the following 178 years exclusively hulling barley. Pearl barley is still produced at Het Prinsenhof. De Jonge Dirk stands on the Weelsloot east of Het Prinsenhof in Westzaan. The remains of De Jonge Dirk were brought to Westzaan in 1958 and brought back to life there under this name.

Polder landscape, meadow birds and routes on the water

In the wider area around Westzaan lies the Westzaan Polder, a historic wet meadow area on the western edge of Zaanstad. The Westzijderveld is the polder between Westzaan, Zaandam and Wormerveer and attracts many meadow birds. The landscape was part of an area of windmills with around 150 mills; four of them have survived.

For active days, the Monumentenroute Westzaan is an approximately 15-kilometre circular cycling route through Westzaan’s historic monuments. The signposted Westzaan Canoe Route starts and ends at the canoe rental service at Middel 180A, Westzaan. At TOP Westzaan, the 7-kilometre Westzaan Canoe Route is one of the waterway routes. SUPFUN rents stand-up paddleboards for trips through the Westzaan Polder. The Historische Vereniging Westzaan organises historical walks through Westzaan.

When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home in Westzaan, you can shape the focus of your days around these contrasts: the village centre, churches, monuments and windmills represent culture-oriented discoveries, while polders, meadow birds and waterways allow for a different way of spending the day. The different route lengths help you compare plans and adapt your itinerary to your own pace.

More places for your travel planning

Other places you can consider for your travel planning include Koog Aan De Zaan, Zaandijk, Zaandam, Assendelft, Zaanstad and Wormerveer.

To the higher-level travel overview: Zaanstad.