Broek in Waterland is a town in the province of North
Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Waterland, and is situated about 8
km south of Purmerend and 8 km northeast of Amsterdam. In the 17th and 18th
century, the town was a popular residence for merchants and seafarers from
Amsterdam. Due to its monument status, much of its history has been preserved.
Many of the houses in the village date back to before
1850. Before 1940 there had been only limited housing development. This meant
that many houses were divided to accommodate several families under the same
roof. The church of Broek in Waterland was built before 1400 and was dedicated
to Saint Nicolas. On 26 September 1573 the church was razed to the ground by
Spaniards during the Eighty Years' War. In 1628 the inhabitants of Broek in
Waterland started to rebuild the church on the foundations of the old building.
The pulpit was donated to the church in 1685 by a
wealthy couple who were married there in 1641. It is made of ebony, rosewood
and pallisander wood, which give it a dark colour and delicate texture. The
church organ was built in 1832 by Wander Beekes. The church was extensively
renovated in 1989. During this renovation, the original ceiling frescoes of
cherubs and fruit garlands were rediscovered under old layers of paint.
Broek in Waterland was a popular vacation village for
sea captains in the 1600s. The town has always been famous for its cleanliness.
Many 17th and 18th century travel books of foreign travellers mentioned the
cleanliness and tidiness of the village. The extreme cleanliness of Broek in
Waterland led French visitors in the first half of the eighteenth century to
dub this dairying village "le temple de la propreté hollandaise".
Broek in Waterland was a separate municipality until
1991, when it was merged with Waterland.
City/town: Broek in Waterland
Municipality: Waterland
Area: 10,70 km² (Waterland 115,66 km²)
Population: 2.728 (2018) (Waterland 17.306, 1 January
2019)
Website: waterland.nl
Post
office
't
Winkeltje Wals-Schokker
Zuideinde
15
1151
CN BROEK IN WATERLAND
Date sent: 15 July 2017
Date postmark: 15 July 2017
Date received: 18 July 2017
Number of days: 3
Envelope in collection: 234