Our first stop is Zaanse Schans. The area was named 'De Zaanse Schans' after a trench was built in 1574 to hold back Spanish troops during the eighty year war between the Netherlands and Spain. Zaanse Schans was built up on dikes. The dikes were probably built as early as the thirteenth century, the first villages were built along these at a later date. Until late in the last century these were typical 'dike-villages'. In the beginning of the 18th century there were about 500 windmills in the area, of which very few are in operation today. Zaanse Schans has a few windmills that are operating and they include: an oil mill, a paint mill, a mustard mill and a sawmill. Other places to see include a cheese-making dairy, an old bakery, a grocer's shop, a
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