Enkhuizen

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Enkuizen

[Enkhuizen] is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

Enkhuizen was one of the harbour-towns of the VOC, just like Hoorn and Amsterdam, from where was traded overseas with the East Indies. It received city rights in 1355. In the mid-17th century, Enkhuizen was at the peak of its power and was one of the most important port cities in the Netherlands. However, due to a variety of reasons, including the silting of the harbours, Enkhuizen lost its position to Amsterdam.

Nowadays, Enkhuizen continues the maritime tradition and is one of the largest marina's of the Netherlands. It is also the location of the Zuiderzeemuseum, an open-air museum reflecting life in the villages around the Zuiderzee throughout history. Most of the buildings in the museum come from other locations in the Netherlands, such as Purmerend and Amsterdam.

Industrially, Enkhuizen is home to a number of seed production companies, as well as a plastic factory. Tourism, however, is one of the most important businesses as large parts of the inner city are still intact. This includes two magnificent 15th century churches, the largely intact 17th century city walls, gates and tower (the Drommedaris, see picture) and the 17th century city hall.

Population centres

The municipality of Enkhuizen consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Enkhuizen, Oosterdijk, Westeinde.

Local government

The municipal council of Enkhuizen consists of 17 seats, which are divided as follows:

• Nieuw Enkhuizen - 3 seats
• PvdA - 3 seats
• CDA - 2 seats
• ChristenUnie/SGP - 2 seats
• LB/EnkhuizerBel - 2 seats
• VerLinks/GroenLinks - 2 seats
• VVD - 2 seats
• D66 - 1 seat

Public transportation

Enkhuizen is connected to the Dutch railway network, providing a direct connection with Amsterdam. Furthermore, during summer ferries for pedestrians and cyclists operate between Enkhuizen and Stavoren; between Enkhuizen and Medemblik; and between Enkhuizen and Urk.

References

• Statistics are taken from the [SDU Staatscourant]

External links

• [Zuiderzeemuseum Official Website]
• [Digital City Enkhuizen]
• [Images from Enkhuizen]
• [Old Pictures from Enkhuizen]
• [650 Year Enkhuizen]
• [Enkhuizen City Guide]

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