Monnickendam


Monnickendam is a Town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Waterland, and lies on the coast of the Markermeer, about southeast of Purmerend. 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 - mainly built at the port of that 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 that dates from 1591. The fourteenth century church of St. Nicholas, renovated in 1602, is particularly notable. The synagogue was built in 1894. Jewish families named Monnikendam trace their roots to this town.
The town was the site of an artist's colony in the early twentieth century.

Demographics

In 2001, the town of Monnickendam had 9,546 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was, and contained 3,766 residences. The wider statistical area of Monnickendam has a population of around 9,680.

Notable residents