Alkmaar is a city in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland, 50 km north of Amsterdam, between the North Sea and the IJsselmeer. It counts some 95,000 inhabitants. Already the 11th century a church was built here around here, a small settlement of traders and farmers. In 1254, finally, Alkmaar was granted city rights by the Dutch Count Wilhelm II. In 1573 the city became a symbol of the Dutch struggle for freedom against Spanish rule, as Alkmaar successfully resisted the siege. Even today, the day of October 8 is celebrated here. In the early 17th century, the city suffered greatly under the religious struggles of the various Protestant directions.
Cruise offers to the port Alkmaar / Netherlands
Interesting is first the picturesque old town, with its "house of the ball" and its small canals. The great St. Laurens Church was built in the 15th century. It has two beautiful old organs, one of which is dates back to the construction year 1511 and the other was built in the 17th century by the German organ builder Frans-Caspar Schnitger.
The city also has some very interesting museums: the Dutch Cheese Museum is located directly on the marketplace in the former Wäghaus and houses among others a variety of everyday objects, film, drawings and paintings that document the history of the production of milk products and the associated trade. In the municipal museum there is, among other things, an extraordinary collection of paintings by old masters from the 16th and 17th centuries, also other famous paintings of which one or the other also refers to the Spanish siege from 1573.The National Beer Museum "De Boom" is housed in a former brewery from the 17th century. It documents the entire process of brewing and beyond the entire history of the drink and its importance for the Netherlands and the city of Alkmaar. In the "tasting bar" in the basement you can then taste one (or more ...) of 86 Dutch beers.
The city is also famous since 1622 for its cheese market with its white-clad "cheese makers" regularly held every Friday between Easter and autumn.
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