Zaanstad

Zaanstad (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈzaːnstɑt] ) is a Dutch municipality in the province of North Holland, situated northwest of Amsterdam. Its main city is Zaandam. It is part of the conurbation and metropolitan area of Amsterdam. It had a population of 156,901 in 2021.

Topography

Population centres

The municipality of Zaanstad is a conurbation consisting of the cities, towns and villages of: Assendelft, Koog aan de Zaan, Krommenie, Westzaan, Wormerveer, Zaandam and Zaandijk. However, being surrounded by countryside and due to its relatively protracted shape that follows the river Zaan, a rural atmosphere is always nearby.

Railway stations in Zaanstad

Koog aan de Zaan railway station (formerly Koog Bloemwijk)
Krommenie-Assendelft railway station
Wormerveer railway station
Zaandam railway station
Zaandam Kogerveld railway station
Zaandijk Zaanse Schans railway station (formerly Koog-Zaandijk)

Local government

The municipal council of Zaanstad consists of 39 seats, which at the 2022 local elections divided as follows:

Notable tourist attractions

Zaans Museum
Zaanse Schans
Czar Peter House
Gedempte Gracht, a shopping street in Zaandam

Notable people from Zaanstad

The arts

Pieter Jansz. Saenredam (1597–c. 1665), a painter of the Dutch Golden Age
Anton Mauve (1838–1888), realist painter, leading member of the Hague School
Jan Verkade (1868-1946), post-Impressionist and Christian Symbolist painter
Piet Zwart (1885–1977), graphic designer, industrial designer and typographer
Dick Laan (1894–1973), children's writer and film pioneer
Aafje Heynis (1924–2015), contralto
Piet Kee (1927–2018), organist and composer
Han Bennink (born 1942), jazz drummer and percussionist
Kathinka Pasveer (born 1959), flautist

Public thinking & public service

Adriaan Pelt (1892–1981), journalist, international civil servant and diplomat
Johannes Kleiman (1896–1959), resident who helped hide Anne Frank and her family
Hanneke Ippisch (1925–2012), member of the Dutch resistance in World War II
Tom Viezee (born 1950), Christian minister and former politician, Mayor of Zeewolde 1999–2004
Emine Bozkurt (born 1967), politician

Science & business

Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878), medical doctor, ichthyologist, and herpetologist
Christiaan Eijkman (1858–1930), physician and professor of physiology, joint winner the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1929 for the discovery of vitamins
Cornelis Zwikker (1900–1985), scientist, mostly in physics, chemistry and acoustics
E. G. van de Stadt (1910–1999), yacht designer
Simon de Wit (1912–1976), rower and CEO of the supermarket chain Simon de Wit
Gerrit Jan Heijn (1931–1987), businessman with Ahold, kidnapped and murdered
Floris Takens (1940–2010), mathematician

Sport

Jaap Boot (1903-1986), athlete, bronze medallist in the 1924 Summer Olympics
Jaap Kraaier (1913–2004), flatwater canoeist, bronze medallist at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Nicolaas Tates (1915–1990), canoeist, bronze medallist at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Mieke Jaapies (born 1943), sprint canoer, silver medallist in the 1972 Summer Olympics
Cees Stam (born 1945), a former track cyclist and four-time world champion stayer
Toos Beumer (born 1947), swimmer, team bronze medallist at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Johnny Rep (born 1951), former footballer
Annemarie Sanders (born 1958), an equestrian, silver medallist in the Team Dressage 1992 Summer Olympics
Luc Nijholt (born 1961), football manager and a former player
Erwin Koeman (born 1961), retired footballer
Ronald Koeman (born 1963), retired footballer and ex-manager of the Barcelona since 2020.
Wietse van Alten (born 1978), an archer, bronze medallist 2000 Summer Olympics
Bilal Başaçıkoğlu (born 1995), footballer