Volendams Museum Tours

Volendam, a quaint town on the coast of North Holland, is known for its fisherman and beautiful traditional clothing (it was once the harbor for the famous cheese-making city of Edam). In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Volendam was known as a bit of an ‘artists’ retreat,’ inspiring the well-known painters (like Picasso and Renoir) who spent time there. Today, the historical Volendams Museum gives the visitor a feeling for what life was like there a hundred years ago.

Full-sized mannequins wearing traditional clothes engage in everyday activities in rooms modelled after typical Dutch houses of the early 20th century. The rooms (four living rooms and one commercial shop) are modelled after the period between 1815 and 1920. There’s also plenty of original film material and art from many of the artists that visited Volendam. One of the rooms contains an incredible cigar-band mosaic, depicting life in Volendam and made from eleven MILLION cigar bands.