The iconic village of the Dutch windmills by Zaanse Schans will become paid to counter the Overurism

A few kilometers from Amsterdam is Zaanse Schans, a village that seems to have come out of a postcard. Windmils still working, secular wooden houses, craftsman shops and chocolate scent and cheeses make this place one of the most visited in the Netherlands. Every year over three million tourists arrive here to experience the experience of a real open -air museum, where time seems to have stopped.

A museum built after the war

Not everyone knows that Zaanse Schans’ beauty is the result of an ambitious post -war project. To save the mills and historical homes of the region, in the 1950s they were transferred here and rebuilt in a protected area. The official inauguration arrived in 1972 thanks to Queen Juliana, transforming this village into one of the most loved symbols of the Dutch tradition.

The problem of mass tourism

The popularity of Zaanse Schans, however, has a downside. The continuous flow of visitors made the village the “national symbol of tourist overcrowding”. The narrow streets fill up every day of buses and groups, creating difficulties of living with residents. The risk, according to local authorities, is to compromise the conservation of buildings and mills.

The 17.50 euro ticket from 2026

To deal with the issue, the Zaanstad city council approved the introduction of an entrance ticket from 17.50 euros starting from 2026. The goal is twofold: to reduce the number of tourists to around 1.8 million a year and generate funds for the maintenance of the assets.

The referendum organized by who is against

The residents will continue to have free access, but there is no shortage of protests from those who fear a collapse of the economic activities related to tourism. Local entrepreneurs, including millers and shopkeepers, fear a collapse of usual customers and that the new rules transform Zaanse Schans into a sort of paid park.

So, together with the oldest residents who still live in historic houses, they requested a city referendum to block the measure. If this is the opposite front, however, at the same time there are those who believe that it is necessary to preserve a place as fragile as iconic.

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