Enkhuizen
Encyclopedia
Enkhuizen is a municipality and a town in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, in the province of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
and the region of West-Frisia
West Friesland (region)
West Friesland is a contemporary region in the northwestern Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The region covers an area of about , delineated by the Westfriese Omringdijk...
.
Enkhuizen was one of the harbour-towns of the VOC
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
, just like Hoorn
Hoorn
-Cities :* Purmerend * Enkhuizen * Alkmaar * Amsterdam * Lelystad * Den Helder * Leeuwarden -Towns :* Edam...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, from where overseas trade with the East Indies
East Indies
East Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
was conducted. It received city rights
City rights in the Netherlands
City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
in 1355. In the mid-17th century, Enkhuizen was at the peak of its power and was one of the most important harbour cities in the Netherlands. However, due to a variety of reasons, notably the silting up of the harbours, Enkhuizen lost its position to Amsterdam.
Nowadays, Enkhuizen continues the maritime tradition and has one of the largest marinas of the Netherlands. It is also the location of the Zuiderzeemuseum
Zuiderzeemuseum
The Zuiderzeemuseum is a museum located on the Wierdijk in Enkhuizen, Netherlands devoted to preserving Enkhuizen's cultural heritage as well as the maritime history of the Zuiderzee, and since 1932, the IJsselmeer...
, an open-air museum reflecting life in the villages around the Zuiderzee throughout history. Most of the buildings in the museum come from other locations in the Netherlands, such as Purmerend
Purmerend
Purmerend is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. The city became the trade center of the region but the population grew relatively slow. Only after 1960 did the population...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
Industrially, Enkhuizen is home to a number of seed production companies, as well as a plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
s factory. Tourism, however, is one of the most important businesses as large parts of the inner city are still intact. This includes two magnificent 15th century churches, the largely intact 17th century city walls, gates and tower (the Drommedaris, see picture) and the 17th century city hall.
Population centres
The municipality of Enkhuizen consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Enkhuizen, Oosterdijk, WesteindeWesteinde
Westeinde is the name of a number of villages in the Netherlands:* Westeinde * Westeinde * Westeinde , in the province of South Holland* Westeinde , in the province of South Holland...
.
Local government
The municipal council of Enkhuizen consists of 17 seats, which are divided as follows:- SP - 3 seats
- VVDPeople's Party for Freedom and DemocracyThe People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
/D66Democrats 66Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
- 3 seats - PvdALabour Party (Netherlands)The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
- 3 seats - Nieuw Enkhuizen - 3 seats
- CDAChristian Democratic AppealThe Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
- 2 seats - ChristenUnieChristianUnionThe ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
/SGPReformed Political PartyThe Reformed Political Party is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. The term Reformed is not a reference to political reform, but is a synonym for Calvinist. The SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands in its current form, and for its entire existence has been in opposition...
- 1 seat - Lijst Quasten - 1 seat
- GroenLinks - 1 seat
Transport
Enkhuizen stationEnkhuizen railway station
Enkhuizen is a terminus railway station in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands. The station opened on the 6th June 1885 and is located at the end of the Zaandam–Enkhuizen railway. The station and services are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The station has a nearby ferry departure point with a ferry to...
offers a direct service to Hoorn
Hoorn
-Cities :* Purmerend * Enkhuizen * Alkmaar * Amsterdam * Lelystad * Den Helder * Leeuwarden -Towns :* Edam...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
, with the journey to Amsterdam Centraal of around an hour.
Furthermore, during summer ferries
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
for pedestrians and cyclists operate between Enkhuizen and Stavoren
Stavoren
Stavoren is a small town on the coast of the IJsselmeer, about 5 km south of Hindeloopen. It lies within the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. Stavoren was granted city rights in 1118, making it the oldest city in Friesland...
; between Enkhuizen and Medemblik
Medemblik
Medemblik is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia.- History :...
; and between Enkhuizen and Urk
Urk
Urk is a municipality and a town in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands.Urk is first mentioned in historical records dating to the 10th century, when it was still an island in the Almere, a lake that would become part of the Zuiderzee in the 13th century after a series of incursions...
.
Born in Enkhuizen
- Gerbrand BakkerGerbrand BakkerGerbrand Bakker was an eminent Dutch physician, professor at the University of Groningen....
(1771), physician, professor at the University of Groningen - Lucas Janszoon WaghenaerLucas Janszoon WaghenaerLucas Janszoon Waghenaer was a Dutch chief officer and cartographer who was born in Enkhuizen.He is one of the founding fathers and most famous members of the North Holland school, which played a major role in the early development of Dutch nautical chart-making.Between 1550 and 1579 Waghenaer...
(1533), Chief Officer / Cartographer - Paulus PotterPaulus PotterPaulus Potter was a Dutch painter, specialized in animals in landscapes, usually with a low point of view. Before Potter died of tuberculosis, 28-years old, he succeeded in producing about a hundred paintings, working continuously.-Life:Few details are known of Potter's life...
(1625), Painter - Gerrit ZalmGerrit ZalmGerrit Zalm is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He served as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister from May 27, 2003 until February 22, 2007 in the Cabinets Balkenende II and III. He served earlier as Minister of Finance in the Cabinets Kok I and...
(1952), former Minister of Finance. - Wijda MazereeuwWijda MazereeuwWijda Mazereeuw is a retired medley and breaststroke swimmer from the Netherlands.Mazereeuw represented her native country twice at the Summer Olympics, starting in 1972 , but the highlight of her career was at the 1975 World Aquatics Championships in Cali, Colombia, where she won silver medals at...
(1953), Dutch swimmer