Claude Monet in Zaandam
Claude Monet visited Zaandam in 1871. The famous French painter was so impressed by the Zaan landscape, the windmills, the wooden houses, and the Zaan river that he created an astounding 25 paintings and 9 sketches of the landscape.
The picturesque Zaan landscape enamoured Claude Monet and other painters in that time and drew them to the Zaan region, just as many local and international visitors are intrigued to visit the Zaanse Schans, which is home to the Zaans Museum.
During his stay in the Netherlands, Monet wrote to his friend Camille Pissarro: ‘Zaandam is quite remarkable and there is enough to paint for a lifetime. Houses in all colours, hundreds of mills, and delightful boats.’
