Monnickendam () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the Dutch province of

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

Waterland Waterland () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. It is situated north of Amsterdam, on the western shore of the Markermeer. It includes t ...

, and lies on the coast of the Markermeer, about southeast of

Purmerend Purmerend () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. Purmerend's population grew relatively slowly until the 1960s ...

. It received city rights in 1355 and was damaged by the fires of 1500 and 1513.

History

Monnikendam was also the name of a number of warships built at the port of the same name during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. The town was founded by monks, the name Monnickendam translates as 'Monk's dam'. Monnickendam was a separate municipality until 1991, when it was merged into Waterland. Although it is a small fishing village today, it was an important port in earlier centuries. It possesses a seventeenth-century weigh house, once used by merchants and port officials, and a

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

that dates from 1591. The fourteenth century church of St. Nicholas, renovated in 1602, is particularly notable. The

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

was built in 1894.

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

families named Monnikendam trace their roots to this town. The town was the site of an artist's colony in the early twentieth century.

Economy

Monnickendam hosts a number of industries, many related to its history and proximity to the Markermeer. Notably, the city is home to the Royal Hakvoort Shipyards that has operated for over a century, first catering to the local fishing industry by building vessels for their purpose, and later moving into luxury and pleasure crafts. Other notable organisations include Leguit + Roos, specialising in the renovation and restoration of historical buildings that are plenty in the Waterland area. In recent developments, the derelict business quarter of Galgeriet was demolished in order to make space for the development of new residential buildings. The Dutch government has subsidised this development with €6,420,240, with the hope of creating 700 homes as well as additional commercial spaces to both alleviate the ailing demography and provide an impetus for further economic growth.

Demographics

In 2001, the town of Monnickendam had 9,546 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was , and contained 3,766 residences.Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ''Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001'

Statistics are for the continuous built-up area. The wider statistical area of Monnickendam has a population of around 9,680.Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ''Gemeente Op Maat 2004: Waterland'

Notable people

* Wendelmoet Claesdochter, first female Lutheran martyr during the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, executed in 1527 at

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

* Cornelis Dirkszoon, mayor of Monnickendam during the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

* Hermann Jung (1608–1678), prominent

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

theologian and preacher * Simon Lambrechtszoon Mau, captain of the ''Duyfken'' who led the first expedition to the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

using a route around Africa * Marlou van Rhijn, two-time 200 metre gold medal winner at the

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and 2016 Paralympics

Gallery

File:Monnickendam, sculptuur van een monnik op de brug bij de Waag foto8 2014-05-25 11.09.jpg, Monk sculpture at the bridge near de Waag File:Sint-Nicolaaskerk1 Monnickendam.jpg, Church: de Grote of Sint Nicolaaskerk File:Waag en Speeltoren Monnickendam.jpg, Tower (de Speeltoren) and de Waag File:Monnickendam, zicht op de Haven foto1 2014-05-25 10.52.jpg, View to the port File:Monnickendam, straatzicht Noordeinde met monumentaal pand RM29996 en kerk op achtergrond foto2 2014-05-25 11.18.jpg, View to a street (het Noordeinde) File:Monnickendam (4).jpg, View to the grachten File:Waterland-Monnickendam, ophaalbrug de Rietvinkbrug IMG 6951 2023-06-25 11.33.jpg, Drawbridge: the Rietvinkbrug

References

External links

* Cities in the Netherlands Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Waterland {{northHolland-geo-stub