Schagen: West Frisian Market Town With a Thursday Tradition
Every Thursday in summer, costumed performers re-enact a traditional West Frisian market in Schagen's centre. Horses, old farm carts, and cheese traders fill the Markt in front of the Slot Schagen castle ruin. This weekly spectacle has drawn visitors since the 1950s and is one of North Holland's better-known folkloristic events. Around 9,100 residents live in this town roughly 15 kilometres north of Alkmaar.
Schagen serves as a regional centre for the surrounding agricultural polder landscape. Flower bulb cultivation, dairy farming, and seed potato production shape the local economy. The town's position between the North Sea coast and the West Frisian lake district gives access to both beach recreation around Callantsoog and water sports near the Geestmerambacht park.
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Every Thursday in summer, costumed performers re-enact a traditional West Frisian market in Schagen's centre. Horses, old farm carts, and cheese traders fill the Markt in front of the Slot Schagen castle ruin. This weekly spectacle has drawn visitors since the 1950s and is one of North Holland's better-known folkloristic events. Around 9,100 residents live in this town roughly 15 kilometres north of Alkmaar.
Schagen serves as a regional centre for the surrounding agricultural polder landscape. Flower bulb cultivation, dairy farming, and seed potato production shape the local economy. The town's position between the North Sea coast and the West Frisian lake district gives access to both beach recreation around Callantsoog and water sports near the Geestmerambacht park.
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