Hoorn Is A Typical Dutch City And A Hidden Tourist Gem In Holland
The historic Dutch city of Hoorn is only a 45 minute train ride from Amsterdam and features the popular West Fries Museum covering the history of the VOC and the Dutch Golden Age.
Hoorn is buzzing! This historic city with its unique waterside location is a living monument. Over the years Hoorn has retained its international character.
Hoorn’s almost 70,000 inhabitants, representing around 80 different nationalities, live in the old city centre and the districts built around it. In Hoorn, young and old coexist happily. This goes for both the people and the buildings.
Modern architecture is carefully blended into the historical townscape. Hoorn is a compact, complete town with a good location. Next to the A7 and with a direct rail connection to Amsterdam and Schiphol, Hoorn is practically on the doorstep of the Netherlands Randstad area.
Set in rural surroundings on the shore of the Ijsselmeer, Hoorn is a great place to live and work and spend your leisure time. The beating heart of West Friesland. Hoorn has a rich past. In the Golden Age, Hoorn was as one of the six bases of the Dutch East India Company, a prosperous and powerful trading town.
This prosperity can still be seen in the historical town centre with its atmosphere of bygone eras. Listed buildings are an integral part of everyday life, providing space for shops, offices, museums and homes.
The former Oostereiland prison complex is an extraordinary site, with future plans for a mix of housing, workplaces, culture and bars and restaurants. Beyond the town itself, the former villages of Westerblokker and Zwaag boast many historical treasures. After Amsterdam and Haarlem, Hoorn is the third monument city in North Holland.
Founded in 716, Hoorn rapidly grew to become a major harbour town. During Holland's 'Golden Age' (or 'Golden Century'), Hoorn was an important home base for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and a very prosperous centre of trade.
The Hoorn fleet plied the seven seas and returned laden with precious commodities. Exotic spices such as pepper, nutmeg,cloves, and mace were sold at vast profits. With their skill in trade and seafaring, sons of Hoorn established the town's name far and wide. Jan Pieterszoon Coen (1587-1629) is famous for his violent raids in Dutch Indies (now Indonesia), where he "founded" the city of Batavia in 1619 (now Jakarta). He has a big statue on the Rode Steen square in the center of Hoorn.
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