The vast peat meadows of the Zaan region

Windmill De Held Joshua
The walk starts in the village of Koog aan de Zaan, which is sandwiched between Zaandam and Zaandijk. From the station you walk towards the river Zaan, which you follow in a southerly direction. This way you will automatically reach Zaandam, where you can admire the windmill De Held Joshua on the west side of the railway line. As a national monument, this beam sawmill can be visited by appointment. At the end of the Westerwindpad, a look at the neighborhood farm De Fronik is worthwhile. You then walk over the old Noorder IJ and Zeedijk to Nauerna and further along the water of the canal to Westzaan. Along the way you will see typical peat meadow landscapes with grazing cows and meadow birds.

Paper mill the Schoolmaster
Once upon a time, the best paper came from the Zaan region. De Schoolmeester is the only mill in the world where wind-made paper is still produced today. The first Zaanse paper mills only made blue and gray paper. White paper was only added later. No white paper is made at the Schoolmeester either. Take a look at this mill if you want to see how this paper is made.