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Welcome / Herzlich Wilkommen / Welcome / Bienvenido on board at Spaander Marina - boat touring company.

During the next 60 minutes we will make a cruise together on the Gouwzee. The rich history of Volendam and its surrounding fishing villages is going to be discussed.

1. Hotel Spaander

When you look to the left, you will see the famous hotel Spaander! The popularity of the hotel dates back to the year 1850, when the French cultural historian Henry Havard wrote a book about the hotel. Artists were attracted to the village and stayed in the hotel in exchange for a painting. To this day, the walls of the hotel are decorated with these works of art. The hotel has thus played an important role in tourism.

2. The dam

When you look to the right, you will see that the former lock has been replaced by a dam. This dam called the Vol-en-de-dam, is the place where Volendam originally originated. Volendam and Edam still coincided until 1357. The city of Edam was then granted city rights and a new connection to the Zuiderzee could be made.

3. The harbor and fishing

The harbour, on the right, has been invaluable to the inhabitants of Volendam. Fishing is important to the community to this day. The port was founded in 1661 and has played an important role in the development of the city ever since. During the Second World War, the Volendammers devised a clever plan to protect their harbor, they sank a botter at the exit of the harbor. Unfortunately, they forgot that the rest of the fleet was still in the harbor and could therefore no longer sail. The plan was in vain, because the Germans still came with parachutes from the sky to invade the city.

4. New Year’s fire

You will see ‘Volendam Experience’ on your right. Unfortunately, on January 2001 there was a terrible disaster here. The building housed 3 pubs and café 't Hemeltje was located on the first floor. Fireworks were set off inside the fir branches hanging from the ceiling. At the time of the fire, approximately 600 people were present, which killed 14 people and 241 inured. In memory of this tragic event, a monument has been placed in the dike in front of the building.

5. ‘Botterwerf’

In the year 1894 a slipway was built for the repair and maintenance of 252 botters, of which only 4 are left today. These boats are currently being restored and rebuilt at the Botterwerf, which is located on your right in the Marina Haven.

6. The ‘Kwak’ and old fishing boats

In the harbor on the right you will see a number of old fishing boats. Since the Middle Ages, the old botter has developed into the current quack. The 'Volendammer Kwak' is 16 by 4.5 meters wide and a lot larger than an ordinary botter. There are holes in the hull below the waterline, so that the fishermen could catch fresh fish. Around 1910 there were still 200 'quacks' in use, today there are only 4 left.

Religion

In the 16th century the Reformation arose, and Holland became Protestant. However, Volendam stuck to Catholicism and became isolated as a result. However, this also ensured a close-knit community and the preservation of many traditions and customs, such as the clothing and the dialect. This is even the biggest reason why Volendam has become known. Because the people of Volendam were also Catholic, they were not allowed to learn to swim, because they had to take off their clothes. Unfortunately, children have drowned in the harbor while playing on and near the boats.

7. Last flood disaster

On January 14, 1916, Volendam was hit by the flood disaster. The village of Volendam was under water for six months, causing damage to 75% of the homes. The water has stood at a maximum of 2.80 m above sea level (NAP).

The people who lived in the flooded houses were first housed in boats and later in houses on the dike. In total there were 1500 people who needed shelter. Amsterdam was prepared to receive them, but the pastor was not happy about this. Amsterdam had the ramparts and was Protestant, while Volendam was Catholic.

Every day food and drinks were brought from Amsterdam to Volendam, which was allowed by the pastor. Eventually, the people found shelter in the Catholic villages of Blokker and Schermerhorn.

‘Volendams’ (dialect)

Volendam is a well-known village because of the many music, traditional costumes, cheese farms, tourism and fish, but also because of the language: Volendams. This language arose because the village remained Catholic in a predominantly Protestant Holland. It is a mix of 17 th century Old Dutch/ Franconian, similar to the Afrikaans spoken in South Africa. Old Frisian words can still be found in the language, such as 'Skol' for 'school' and 'skaer' for scissors.

8. City of Monnickendam

The monks of the island of Marken needed a warehouse on the mainland. They built a dam on the other side and this is how Monnickendam was created in the 14th century . Monnickendam is in front of you (or on your right). Monnickendam was not a fishing town but a trading town. Monnickendam received city rights in 1355 and grew into a prosperous city through trade with the Baltic countries. After 2 major city fires in 1499 and 1513, the city was largely destroyed and has been rebuilt with stone houses. After the closure of the Purmer EE, EE or IJ simply meant running water in Old Germanic. In 1622 there was no longer a direct connection and it fell into disrepair. There are still many beautiful monumental buildings in Monnickendam, such as the Weagh and the play tower.

9. IJsselmeer – Gouwzee

We sail over a part of the IJsselmeer that is also called the Gouwzee. Behind us lies the Markermeer, which owes its name to the nearby town of Marken. When the Romans came to the Netherlands, there was no inland lake like the IJsselmeer. The land consisted of swamps and peat bogs. Flooding and the excavation of peat created a large inland lake, which the Romans called 'Mare Flevo', meaning 'big lake'. The disappearance of land created a passage to the North Sea and it became a salty sea that was called the Zuiderzee from 1500 onwards.

Music – ‘Paling’ sound

It used to be important to gain brand awareness at the well-known radio stations such as Veronica and Radio Caroline in order to sell your music. To achieve this, the people responsible for the music groups of the Volendam band De Cats brought them a delicacy: smoked eel. As a result, the music style that resulted from it was named Palingsound.

Folklore and clothing

An important part of tourism in Volendam is the unique clothing style. Over the years, millions of people have had their picture taken in the black Volendam wedding suit. Black clothing was a symbol of wealth in the Netherlands. The oldest image with the typical Volendam clothing on it dates from 1806.

The men had a piece of jewelry on their suit in which they put potpourri as an aroma diffuser against the stench or amber as a defense against diseases and infections, so-called amber apples or pomander . The men's winter hats seemed to be made of unborn lamb skin. The white headgear 'de hul' got its name from the word conceal = to cover. (in Dutch = verhullen)

10. (Peninsula) Island of Marken

On the right or left (depending on how you sail) you will see Marken. Marken used to be an island that was created in 1184 by the rising of the sea level. It was then much larger than it is now, but the sea has taken large pieces of land with it. In the 13th century, the island was donated to a group of Norbertine monks from Friesland. Marken still exists thanks to the monks, they built dikes and dams. The wet soil could only be used for cattle breeding. The monks were chased from Marken in 1345 because they were Frisians. In the 14th century more and more dikes broke and the inhabitants of Marken started building mounds, elevations of the land, which they called yards. These yards became hamlets where entire families lived. From the middle of the 17th century, people no longer built wharves, but wooden houses on stilts. Many of these houses can still be seen on Marken.

11. The Volendammer Fish Auction

In front of you you will see the Volendammer Visafslag, which was built in 1934. For centuries Volendam has been the main supplier of fish to the Amsterdamse Marken. In the 19 th century, the fish auction was the central point where everyone came for the fish trade. The profit from the Volendammer fish auction was given to the community. From the 1990s, the Volendammer fish auction was removed from its function and became a tourist attraction. Since the summer of 2010, the fish auction has served as accommodation for the harbor master, among other things.

12. Maria statue

Next to the harbor hole you will see a statue of the Virgin Mary. There was a great Marian devotion in Volendam. After a pilgrimage in 1952, which was made by a group of Volendammers to Banneux in Belgium , a statue of Mary, Our Lady of Banneux , was placed there . This image you see wished all skippers a safe journey.