Amsterdam Cycle Route 7: Port, Westzaan and Zaan river

Recommended maps: the best map of landscape and structure of the Amsterdam region is the ANWB/VVV Topografische Fietskaart Amsterdam / Noord-Holland Noord, map 13 in this series, at scale 1:50 000. The map costs € 10, but these are probably the best cycling maps in the world. For historic comparisons see the Topografische Dienst reproduction of the 1854 military map, sheet 25. There are two specialised map shops in Amsterdam: Pied à Terre / van Wijngaarden (Overtoom 135-137), and A la Carte (Utrechtsestraat 110/112).

start at Haarlemmerplein (square) on the western edge of the historic core of Amsterdam, in front of the Willemspoort, an 1840 triumphal arch with clock. (Route 3 also begins here).

go under the rail viaduct, into the Plancius straat. The original 4-track viaduct into Centraal Station has been rebuilt to 6 tracks, along with the lifting bridges visible on the left

100 m further, turn left into the Eerste Breeuwers straat, and then immediately turn right into the street between the rows of houses, the Houtman straat. This is a pedestrianised access to 19th-century social housing. At least it was social housing until several years ago: the tenants were evicted for renovation.

at the end, back on Plancius straat, turn left, across the bridge (over the Zoutkeetsgracht).

at the end of Plancius straat is the Zoutkeets plein: turn left, and then right, onto the Houtman kade, along the main canal. This is still recognisably a quayside ('kade' = quay). In the side streets is more late-19th century social housing.

at the end of the Houtman kade, at the busy van Diemen straat, turn left across the canal. It is the main shipping route through west Amsterdam.

go straight on, along the busy Tasman straat. The street is on a dike above a port area (right), the old 'Houthaven', timber-dock. In the next 5 years, the dock basin will be re-excavated, and cleared for new upmarket housing. At present the site is used for temporary student housing. The borough council shamelessly plans to evict the tenants of the 1920's social housing on the left, and sell the units - planned gentrification.

after the next traffic lights, continue along the main road, here called the Spaarndammer dijk - part of the original sea dike route towards Haarlem. After the petrol station, there is a separate cycle path.

pass the Gamma store: the warehouses indicate the start of the port area. After another 400 m, the cycle path on this side of the road ends. Cross to the two-way cycle path, on the other side of the road (Nieuwe Hem weg), and continue.

pass the Mercuriushaven, a grain dock. The westward expansion of the port began after the North Sea Canal was completed in 1876: the historic docks lie east of the centre. On the left, the rail line to Schiphol diverges from the port freight line. The area on the left is an office employment zone, rather than a classic port area.

ahead is a motorway viaduct, it takes the ring motorway to the Coen tunnel (under the North Sea Canal). Nearer the viaduct, pass a concrete channel on the left of the cycle path. It carries cooling water, for the power station

at the motorway junction go straight on, following the cycle sign for Zaanstad. From here, the road is primarily access to the ferry. The rail line alongside the road is the original route across the North Sea Canal, over a swing bridge. The bridge was replaced in 1983 by a tunnel further west, and the rail line was relocated.

pass the Hemcentrale - the main power station of Amsterdam (one gas/oil unit with gas turbine, 599MW, one powder coal unit 630MW). The cooling-water channel crosses under the road again: the water is transferred from one dock basin to another

300 m on, a viaduct crosses the road, an enclosed conveyor belt carrying coal to the power station, from the Amsterdam Bulk Terminal on the left. Part of it is beside the cycle path: if it is in use, you can hear it clearly.

continue past oil tanks: Amsterdam is not a major oil port, Rotterdam dominates oil and bulk traffic. Also on the right, Icova recycling, but you usually smell it before you see it.

1 km on, you reach the ferry landing stage at the North Sea Canal. The primary function of this ferry is to provide a diversionary route, for dangerous cargoes not allowed in the road tunnel. Diagonally opposite is a white building, the former national Artillery Establishment, Staatsbedrijf der Artillerie-Inrichtingen. It is part of a larger military complex, begun in 1899, strategically located at the former rail bridge over the North Sea Canal.

cross by the ferry (free). On the other side, the cyclists all rush to the cycle path on the left side of the road. This is the provincial highway to Alkmaar, one of the first-generation motor roads in the Netherlands (opened 1934).

take the cycle path away from the ferry, towards Zaandam. Pass typical peri-urban non-food retail units: so far, the Netherlands has no major greenfield shopping mall.

as you enter Zaandam, the remains of the former port area are visible left. The timber docks (1911) were a centre for woodworking industry. To the right is the oldest harbour basin of Zaandam, formerly open to the IJ estuary. There is new residential development on an island, Zaandam's own 'docklands regeneration'. (The return route crosses the island). Together with other settlements along the Zaan, Zaandam was absorbed into Zaanstad in a local government re-organisation in 1974. Zaanstad has 140 000 inhabitants

sources: settlement and landscape history
for Amsterdam and the region in general:
Atlas Amsterdam. 1999. Bussum: THOTH
C. Dijkstra, M. Reitsma, A Rommerts.
for all other settlements the provincial survey
Monumenten Inventarisatie Project Noord-Holland
Series published by the Provincie Noord-Holland.

go toward the office building ahead (Albert Heijn supermarket chain, their formal head office is in Amsterdam). Just before the offices, turn off from the main road to Zaandam: follow the cycle sign for Westzaan.

the cycle path crosses the railway: Zaandam station is visible on the right. After the bridge, turn to the right down the cycle path, follow the sign for Westzaan, past the building with light blue cladding.

below, turn left, past the car showroom. Ignore the large cycle sign for Westzaan / Haarlem: continue to the Avia petrol station

stop at the petrol station shop. There are concrete steps on the left of the path, leading up to a higher section of road. Go up these steps, onto the Westzanerdijk, and turn left.

you are now on the mediaeval sea dike of the northern IJ estuary. It was cut by the railway, and later by the development around the station. Most of the houses are not very old, but it is a typical dike settlement, with stepped alleys between the houses.

after 300 m, at the pair of 19th century houses 116-118, the dike road appears to join another road: in fact this is still the original line of dike road, Westzanerdijk. Turn to the right along it, passing snackbar De Molenaar and the Aldi supermarket.

you can see that the dike is a relict settlement pattern now surrounded by development of the last 30 years (housing, industry, warehousing). After about 1 km the historical pattern is more clearly visible. At first all the houses front onto the dike road, but further out some are built below it - on what was originally the inland side (right). There are sections of canal below the dike on the right, with some older farm buildings, backing directly onto the grazing land. That is the 'old land' - everything on the left is on 19th-century polders, reclaimed from the IJ estuary. This pattern is visible at several places in the Amsterdam region: an isolated sea-dike with different landscapes on either side. The website of the Amsterdams Historisch Museum has an animated map of the growth of the city from 1000 to 2000, showing the reclamation process.

about 700 m after the cemetery, the pattern of dike / canal / farms is clearer. Several houses have their own entrance bridge across the canal, a typical feature of this region.

pass several weather-boarded buildings in the regional colour Zaan green (Zaans groen). Just after them is a pumping station, Gemaal Overtoom, with buildings on both sides of the road. Stop to look into the pump building on the right, with two electric pumps.

just after the pumping station, the road crosses an old lock - under renovation, early 2008. From the bridge over the lock, the North Sea Canal is visible (toward the container cranes). It was not built by excavation: there was water here already. Instead two parallel dikes were built in the middle of the estuary, and the rest of the estuary bed was reclaimed: the estuary shrunk to a canal. The strip of 1870's polders, on the estuary bed outside the mediaeval sea dike, is filling up with industrial development.

continue along the dike road, and after 200 m turn right into Westzaan, a linear polder settlement. After the first house right, there is a map: you can see the line of the sea-dike, the straight line of the North Sea Canal, the regular 19th-century polders beside it, and the linear structure of Westzaan itself, It extends for 4 km from the old sea dike northwards. This is exactly the same structure as the village of Oostzaan, on the other side of the Zaan river. Both are aligned parallel to the river, the pattern of mediaeval reclamation of the peat bogs.

continue through the centre section of the village, with some working farms: note that house and farmyard are raised about 1 m above the grazing land at the back. Towards the end of the village, the houses are more closely spaced.

about 3 km from the start of the village, stop at nr 461. Lock your bicycle, and walk into the narrow footpath opposite (Relke pad). The sign indicates a 1722 windmill, Het Prinsenhof

A Windmill! A Windmill!

return to the village and continue, crossing the wooden lifting bridge: several channels cross the village street at right angles. On the 1854 map the mediaeval pattern is still visible: broad channels and the villages parallel to the Zaan, smaller ditches and canals at right angles. Even the small channels were used for transport of hay and cattle.

cycle on into the oldest part of Westzaan, Kerkbuurt (the "church quarter"). At the centre of the old village, in the middle of the road, is the old town hall. Westzaan was also absorbed into Zaanstad in 1974, and the old town hall is relegated to a heritage wedding location. The inscription above the door is a chronogram - add up the letters which correspond to Roman numerals, and you get the date of construction.

continue along Kerkbuurt: then suddenly the village street is cut by the provincial road (Provinciale weg). Visible on the left, the water tower of Assendelft.

cross the road, and turn right, in the direction of Koog a/d Zaan (= Koog aan de Zaan), along a broad cycle path.

after 700 m, the provincial road turns off right: cycle straight on, past another windmill. (This is the abandoned route of the provincial road, which was relocated to make a junction with the motorway). This windmill is a unique paper mill - De Schoolmeester. Before steam engines, wind and turf were the energy source for the early industries of the Zaan region. Open most workdays from 10.00 to 16.00, entrance € 2,50.

the old road stops dead, as it reaches the motorway embankment: cycle on along the path. On the right, some grassland has been abandoned deliberately to revert to New Nature (a pseudo-natural landscape). The reed-covered marsh, with scrub and low trees, is similar to the original vegetation of the region.

pass the regional police headquarters, and turn right at the cycle sign, direction Zaanse Schans.

cycle toward the ADM Cocoa factory, you had probably smelt the cocoa already. At the end of the street are the Amsterdam - Alkmaar railway, and the parallel north-south road. They form the main axis of Zaanstad, itself parallel to the river Zaan.

at the traffic lights, cross the main road: use the cycle crossing. On the other side, immediately turn left along the parallel access road (ignore the sign for Zaanse Schans here).

at the end of Linden laan, go straight on into Park straat: the houses get older.

at the end, turn right. This is the oldest part of the settlement Zaandijk - as the name implies it is built on the Zaan river dike. Just before the windmill De Bleke Dood - 'Pale Death' , there is a bakery, Het Zaanse Bakkertje, where you can buy something to eat at the Zaanse Schans.

you cross the River Zaan, which flowed into the IJ estuary (as it was before centuries of reclamation). The mixture of heritage and working industry is typical of the Zaan region, including of course the windmills.

Windmills! Windmills!

cycle on past the row of wooden houses. Near the entrance, at nr 5, is the 'first Albert Heijn' - a replica of Albert Heijn's grocers shop in Oostzaan, as it was in 1887. Beyond it is an expensive heritage restaurant, souvenir shops (and a psychologist). In the farm buildings you can sample Dutch cheese, and buy wooden shoes. But continue to the windmills, as all visitors do...

the first is a mustard mill: beyond are a saw-mill, a paint mill, and an oil mill. More windmills are being 'reconstructed' - often a 100% replica based on surveys taken before demolition. Windmills were not only used for pumping water and milling grain, but as a source of industrial power. Although these mills have been re-located here, the location is authentic. The banks of the Zaan river formed probably the largest proto-industrial concentration in early modern Europe. It was probably the largest collection of windmills ever constructed - several hundred in the 17th century. Specialised windmills such as sawmills, oilseed mills, paper mills, and hemp mills were concentrated in different locations. The Zaan is still an industrial river, as you will see on the return route.

after you have seen all the windmills, turn back. At the entrance, at the cycle signs, follow the sign for long-distance route LF 7a, and cross the road. (The cycle crossing is 5 m to the left of the cycle signs).

on the other side, go down from the main road into the D. Sonoy weg - go past the temporary ferry. Before reaching the bank of the Zaan river, you go around an inlet, De Poel. Pass several factories - originally located here for water transport.

at the end of the road, continue on a short cycle path. Again follow the cycle sign for LF 7a, turn right onto a narrow road, with Zaan-green weatherboarded houses. At the end cross the narrow lifting bridge: from here the whole inlet is visible.

turn right at the end of the bridge: the road is simply called Kalf, and this south side of De Poel is residential. When you reach a grassed riverbank with trees, opposite the Tate & Lyle starch factory, you are on the bank of the Zaan. The riverside industry is part of the second industrialisation of the Zaan. In the proto-industrial period (1580-1700), shipbuilding and associated trades were dominant. A long period of decline followed. In the late 19th century the region re-industrialised, processing colonial imports and industrial crops. That gave it the regional smell: starch and cocoa.

go on past the Gerkens Cacao factory. At the next corner (street name is Jonge Abraham), turn back toward the river. Go toward the building with the stylised letters ZOR.

go on past the ZOR or Zaanlandse Olie Raffinarderij BV. (The 'dead end' sign is not for cyclists). You are now back on the riverside road: the non-tourist industrial riverside.

pass under the motorway bridge (A8, the one you passed north of Westzaan). After this is more housing: very little of it looks planned. The riverside mixture contrasts with the usual strong functional separation ('zoning'). By Netherlands standards, 'Zaanstad' has a very amorphous urban structure. There is industry, 19th-century housing, older wooden heritage houses, and expensive new apartments.

pass another building of Gerkens Cacao, and then go under the rail viaduct of the Zaandam-Purmerend line.

pass another stretch of grassed riverbank with trees. On both banks are new apartments - the probable future of the entire riverside, after the factories have been relocated.

continue under the new bridge (opened 2006) across the Zaan: the riverside road is now called Oost Zijde. There is some order in the urban structure: all side streets are at right angles. This replicates the older field pattern, itself the product of mediaeval reclamation. The river bank was settled first, the reclamation went inland from there: the alignment of Westzaan is part of the same pattern.

pass an octagonal 19th-century church opposite new apartments. 100 m further is another recent block: turn right into the car park here, in front of the Videotheek Video Palace.

at the riverbank, go left onto the board walk along the river (with the metal cylinders). Visible on the opposite bank are new apartments, and the Verkade biscuit factory (1904) - once the largest factory in Zaandam.

walk along the board walk: better not cycle, there are no railings. At the open space (with children's play area), turn off the board walk.

back at the road, turn right to continue. Pass the church of St. Bonifatius - part of a complex of Catholic religious buildings and schools, built around 1900. To the left of the door is a war monument, thanking Christ the King for preservation in times of war. On the priest's house (right) is a plaque, commemorating the Catholic resistance group based here during the German occupation. This 'catholicising' of the war is probably a reaction to communist influence in the post-war years - the industrial Zaan region was by Dutch standards 'red'.

at the traffic lights just after the church, go straight on across the main road, Peper straat. Go on into the narrow street (Klauwershoek), starting beside Oostzijde nr 1.

go around the corner into the Noorderkerk straat: this is part of the older core of Zaandam. It was not a walled city, and not much of the urban structure has survived. Pass the small cinema 't Saentje, toward the bandstand just after the church. Behind it are the locks on the Zaan river.

turn toward the white building with balcony, three entrance doors, and a coat of arms. It is the former Town Hall of Zaandam (1848). In front of it turn right, to cross the bridge at the south end of the locks. On the left is the harbour basin of Zaandam, most of the land visible was reclaimed in the 1870's.

pass (right) the Zaan gemaal, the pumping station which now drains the Zaan into the IJ - natural flow is no longer sufficient. Behind it are the oldest surviving locks, with two lock-houses, and a stone coat of arms on each side. The locks mark the approximate site of the original dam in the Zaan, built around 1300. The dam gave Zaandam its name, just like Amsterdam. In both cases, the dam isolated the river from the tidal IJ estuary - and in both cases, the spelling has changed over the centuries: Aemstelredam, Saendam.

from the bridge, cycle into the pedestrianised street, past the Post Office, and into Dam itself. This is the exact equivalent of Dam ("Dam Square") in Amsterdam. The undistinguished 19th-century buildings around the square are now cafes: this is the heart of Zaan night-life, such as it is. In the middle of the square is a statue with a Russian inscription, the Dutch text is on the other side. This is Tsar Peter I, Peter the Great: the statue was a gift of the last Tsar, Nicholas, in 1911.

at the statue, turn left to leave the square, go past Tapas Plaza toward the new police station. The street here also commemorates Peter the Great: Czaar Peter straat.

turn right along Czaar Peter straat, and then next left into Krimp, following the signs for the Czaar Peter huisje.

the explanation for the Russian connection is on the left, after 100 m: the Czaar Peter huisje itself. Preserved as a shrine, inside a 19th-century building, is the little wooden house where Peter the Great stayed in 1697. (Open Tuesday-Sunday 13.00 to 17.00). The Tsar came to Zaandam to learn shipbuilding: his visit to Holland and England is an episode of symbolic significance in Russian history. It was an admission that Russia was backward, and needed to learn from the west - a policy opposed at the time, and ever since, see Peter and Russian History. Most Russian tourists in the Netherlands visit Zaandam, including Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Ph.D.

continue along this narrow street: at the end is a higher road, this is the mediaeval sea dike again. Go up the stepped path with green and white wooden railings, and cross the road to a cycle-only bridge across the harbour.

cycle toward the new housing: this is a redeveloped island in the middle of the old harbour. At the corner of the first apartment block, turn right, to leave the island by the road bridge. The older houses (visible right) are on the old sea dike.

turn left at the end of the bridge, follow this waterside road for about 3 km back to the ferry. It runs parallel to the main road for about 300 m, then diverges again.

pass the tip of the redeveloped island. This channel follows approximately the original mouth of the Zaan river, where it entered the IJ estuary. When the North Sea Canal was built, it was regulated as a side channel, Zijkanaal G.

pass under the concrete bridge (link road to Amsterdam-Noord), you are now in the port area. Pass the entrance to the almost abandoned military complex Algemeen Verdedigingspark - Militair Complex Hembrug. It was planned as the strategic centre of the Amsterdam defence line, the Stelling van Amsterdam. Most of the buildings date from the First World War.

pass the last houses of Zaandam. As the channel joins the North Sea Canal, several port basins are visible (there are benches to sit and watch the ships). Directly opposite is the power station Hemcentrale.

the quayside road curves westwards, this is now the bank of the North Sea Canal. Cycle along the facade of the former ammunition factory - the initials and date are still prominent (AI 1956 = Artillerie Inrichting 1956). At the last gate of the complex, you are back at the ferry, where you crossed on the outward route.

cross by the ferry, and follow the signs toward Amsterdam, and then toward Centrum. After the Golden Tulip Art Hotel, turn right into Zaanstraat. Cycle on parallel to the rail line, passing the redbrick 1917/1921 housing block designed for Eigen Haard by Michel de Klerk.

after a short section of cycle path, turn right under the rail bridge. At the traffic lights, turn left toward the triumphal arch, to return to Haarlemmer plein, end point of this route.

Amsterdam Cycle Route 7:
Port, Westzaan and Zaan river

Non-tourist cycle routes around Amsterdam. This route passes the west port basins, crosses the North Sea Canal by ferry, through the polder village of Westzaan, to a heritage windmill park on the Zaan river, and back along the still-industrial riverside. 38 km, 4-5 hours. Revised January 2008.

A Windmill! A Windmill!

Windmills! Windmills!

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