THE STORY OF
ZAANSE SCHANS
6 June 2026 to 6 September 2027
In the mid-20th century, wooden houses and windmills in the Zaan region are under threat of disappearing beneath modern factories and residential buildings. Concerned locals watch as their small-scale landscape and wooden-framed architecture rapidly vanishes in favour of industrialisation and modernisation. A unique rescue programme is launched to save this heritage for the future, and the result is Zaanse Schans.
What is the worldwide appeal of this village filled with windmills and painted green houses? How did Zaanse Schans grow into a symbol of the ‘real Netherlands’? Discover all this in the exhibition Dreaming in wood: The story of Zaanse Schans.
Living heritage
Since its early days, Zaanse Schans is deliberately not an open-air museum, but rather a living heritage village. It is an area where living and working coexist, with millers preserving their craft, businesses welcoming visitors from across the world, and some residents calling it their home for generations. There are now also museums like Zaans Museum, as well as shops and restaurants that draw around 2.8 million tourists from all over the world every year.
Unique built landscape
The wooden houses, windmills and other buildings you see at Zaanse Schans are unique to this area. In this exhibition you can delve deeper into the history of their wooden construction, and see historical architectural artefacts alongside spectacular photographs. Together, these show how entire buildings were transported to Zaanse Schans by road or by water from the mid-20th century.
Dutch icon
Zaanse Schans gains popularity soon after the arrival of its first few houses and windmills. Not only are there tourists, but also film-makers who find it an ideal backdrop. The Dutch government even begins to view Zaanse Schans as the country’s ideal calling card. Dreaming in wood shows the photographs of King Willem-Alexander and newly-crowned Queen Maxima at Zaanse Schans during their ‘introductory tour’ through the Netherlands. Windmills and houses from the area even start to appear on biscuit tins and other objects, helping people across the world become familiar with Zaanse Schans – a true icon of the Netherlands!
Behind the scenes
This exhibition also offers a unique glimpse behind the scenes. What is it like to live or work at Zaanse Schans? How and by whom are the buildings, windmills, pathways, fences, canals and flowerbeds maintained today? Come along and meet various Zaan locals through personal objects, film footage and photographic series, from the very first to the current residents, entrepreneurs, millers and craftspeople.
The exhibition Dreaming in wood will be on display from 6 June 2026. Until then (and afterwards, of course), you can still visit the Zaanse Schans.
The Zaans Museum was founded in 1998 on the Zaanse Schans to guard and preserve the Zaan heritage.
The Hembrug Museum tells the story of the arms and ammunition factory that was located on the Hembrugterrein in Zaandam.
In 1697, the Russian Tsar Peter the Great stayed in this world-famous house in the center of Zaandam.
