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The Zaan is a small river in the province of North-Holland in The Netherlands.
The river was originally a side arm of the IJ bay. It runs about 10 kilometers through the municipality of Zaanstad ("Zaan City") north of Amsterdam, from West-Knollendam in the north to Zaandam in the south, where it empties into the IJ.
The river runs past the Zaanse Schans, a village with historic windmills and houses. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Netherlands.
A number of other towns along the Zaan are also named for the river: Koog aan de Zaan, Westzaan, Oostzaan, Zaandijk and the city of Zaandam.
The Zaan district
The name Zaan also refers to the district through which the river runs.
The district (Dutch: Zaanstreek) is believed to be the world's first industrialized area. During the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, the Zaan district became dotted with windmills. By the mid-17th century, some 900 windmills could be found along the river. Today the Zaan district continues to be a heavily industrialized area with many factories, particularly around the city of Zaandam. A number of major Dutch companies, like Ahold and Verkade, were founded in the Zaan district.
The dialect spoken in the Zaan area is known as Zaans. It has some similarities with the West Frisian dialect.
French impressionist painter Claude Monet stayed in Zaandam in the summer of 1871 and produced a series of 24 paintings of the Zaan district, writing to his friend Camille Pissarro that, "there is enough here to paint for an entire lifetime"1. Monet returned to the Zaan district to paint during visits to the Netherlands in following years.
The name of the successful Alkmaar-based soccer team AZ is short for Alkmaar Zaanstreek.
References
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- This page was last modified on 16 September 2008, at 08:44.
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