Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
your choice of one windmill; and 10 percent discounts at a few
minor attractions (can buy pass only at either end of park—Zaanse
Museum or Dutch Clock Museum).
Hours: The grounds are open all the time (since people actu-
ally live here). In the summer (April-Sept), most of the building
interiors are open daily 9:00-17:00 (though many are closed Mon,
and individual opening and closing times can vary by up to an
hour, as noted below in each listing). After about 16:30, things get
really quiet. In the winter (Oct-March), only some of the build-
ings are open (roughly 9:00-17:00 on Sat-Sun, shorter hours or
closed entirely Mon-Fri; specific month-to-month hours listed at
www.zaanseschans-museum.nl).
Information: The Visitors Center, located in the Zaanse
Museum building, has a good, free map of the grounds. Ask if any
events are scheduled for that day (daily 9:00-17:00, lockers, free
WCs in museum, otherwise €0.50 in park, tel. 075/616-8218).
SIGhTS
I've arranged these sights in order from the train station. Drivers
should park at the Zaanse Museum and then visit these in reverse
order, or walk five minutes to the Dutch Clock Museum and begin
there.
s Dutch Clock Museum (Museum van het Nederlandse
Uurwerk) —More interesting than it sounds, this collection is
brought to life by its curator, clock enthusiast Pier van Leeuwen. If
he's not too busy, Pier can show you around and will lovingly describe
his favorite pieces. Or pick up the free brochure and explore seven
centuries' worth of timepieces on your own. Upstairs is a big, bulky,
crank-wound turret clock from around 1520. Back then, the length
of an “hour” wasn't fixed—there were simply 12 of them between
sunrise and sunset, so the clock's weights could be adjusted to modify
the length of an hour at different times of year. Also up here are the
museum's prized possessions: two of the world's four surviving, origi-
nal 17th-century pendulum clocks, which allowed for more precision
in timekeeping. Downstairs, appreciate the fine craftsmanship of
the Zaans clocks (one clock is wound by being pushed up on a rack,
rather than pulling a chain) and Amsterdam clocks (€4; April-Oct
Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon; Nov-March Sat-Sun 12:00-
16:30, closed Mon-Fri; tel. 075/617-9769, www.mnuurwerk.nl).
• Next door is the...
Albert Heijn Grocery “Museum” (Museumwinkel) —Little
more than a thinly veiled advertisement for the Dutch supermar-
ket chain, this replica grocery store from the 1880s re-creates the
first shop run by Albert Heijn. The scant exhibits lead to a room
promoting Heijn coffee (free, get English description sheet;
 
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