Edam: More Than the Cheese
Cheese made the name famous, but Edam's 17th-century town centre deserves attention on its own terms. Canal-side houses, a leaning church tower, and the Kaaswaag (cheese weigh house) on the Kaasmarkt square survive from the period when Edam was a prosperous shipping port. About 7,380 residents live in this North Holland town, part of the gemeente Edam-Volendam.
Before the Zuiderzee was closed by the Afsluitdijk in 1932, Edam had direct sea access. The old harbour, now a quiet marina, recalls that era. Shipyards once lined the waterfront. Today the town relies partly on tourism, with day visitors from Amsterdam (about 20 kilometres south) arriving by bus or bicycle along the Waterland route.
The Grote Kerk has stained glass windows dating from the early 17th century. The Edams Museum occupies a floating cellar house from around 1540, an unusual construction on the soft peat ground.
Volendam, the larger neighbour to the south, is about 2 kilometres away. Purmerend lies roughly 7 kilometres west.
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Cheese made the name famous, but Edam's 17th-century town centre deserves attention on its own terms. Canal-side houses, a leaning church tower, and the Kaaswaag (cheese weigh house) on the Kaasmarkt square survive from the period when Edam was a prosperous shipping port. About 7,380 residents live in this North Holland town, part of the gemeente Edam-Volendam.
Before the Zuiderzee was closed by the Afsluitdijk in 1932, Edam had direct sea access. The old harbour, now a quiet marina, recalls that era. Shipyards once lined the waterfront. Today the town relies partly on tourism, with day visitors from Amsterdam (about 20 kilometres south) arriving by bus or bicycle along the Waterland route.
The Grote Kerk has stained glass windows dating from the early 17th century. The Edams Museum occupies a floating cellar house from around 1540, an unusual construction on the soft peat ground.
Volendam, the larger neighbour to the south, is about 2 kilometres away. Purmerend lies roughly 7 kilometres west.
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