Marken

Marken was cut off from the mainland by a flood in 1164 and stayed an island in the Zuiderzee until a causeway was built in 1957, and its buildings show what living on one meant: the houses are timber, tarred dark green with white frames, and they stand either clustered on werven - artificial mounds raised above flood level - or up on posts with the ground floor left empty, because the sea came over regularly and the family lived upstairs. The isolation produced a distinct dialect, a Protestant community different from Catholic Volendam next door, and its own costume, which a few older residents still wear. The harbour has a lighthouse, the Paard van Marken, at the point. There is a clog workshop and a small museum in four houses. It is quieter than Volendam and the walk round the point is the good part.

History

The name means "borderland", the edge between the water and the peat of Waterland. Until 1164 the area was joined to the mainland, but the Saint Juliana flood of that year made it an island; around 1232 Frisian Premonstratensian monks bought it and built its first dike, and it stayed an island in the Zuiderzee until 1957 (Wikipedia, Marken).

What to look for

• Dark green timber houses - tarred with white frames, in the island manner.
• Houses on mounds and posts - built above flood level, with empty ground floors.
• The Paard van Marken - the lighthouse at the point of the island.
• An island until 1957 - the causeway that ended six centuries of separation.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Good to know

It is small and gets coach traffic, though less than Volendam. The costume is worn by a handful of residents, not generally. The ferry from Volendam is seasonal. Parking is outside the village.

Nearby

Volendam is across the water by ferry; Monnickendam is west.

Key facts