Sint Pancras - north

A nice, varied village detour through the former village of Sint Pancras, between Heerhugowaard and Alkmaar. You walk alternately past buildings and through greenery.

On the Benedenweg you will find a few beautiful old farms.

The picturesque White Church on Kerkplein immediately catches the eye; it is over five centuries old. Opposite it is the old town hall.

Other highlights on this route include the circuit around the Twuyvermeer and the Twuyver mill on the Alkmaar (Omval)-Kolhorn canal.

The Battle of Vronen

Sint Pancras originated on a beach wall or'geest\\\' between the Vronermeer and the Heerhugowaard, which was then still a large lake. Inhabitation already took place here in the late Iron Age.

Initially the settlement was called Franloo, later it became Vronen or Vroonen.

At that time there was constant fighting between the West Frisians and the Dutch.

On March 27, 1297, the Battle of Vronen took place between the armies of the County of Holland and the County of Zeeland, led by the young Count John I of Holland, and the rebellious West Frisians.

The West Frisians lost the battle. As punishment for their rebellion, the village was completely destroyed and the inhabitants were exiled to the far western border of West Friesland, the Coedike (Koedijk).

Saint Pancras

A new settlement later arose on the spot where the village of Vronen or Vroonen was located; Sint Pancras, named after the medieval chapel of the same name that stood there.

Small Sint Pancras has become increasingly enclosed by the larger towns of Alkmaar and Heerhugowaard. Yet this ancient village has retained its own identity.

To shorten the route by approximately 1 km, you can omit the circuit around the Twuyvermeer in the north (just before junction 75).