Edam, once a renowned whaling port in its 17th-century heyday it had 33 shipyards that built the fleet of legendary admiral Michiel de Ruyter this scenic little town is another of Noord-Holland’s treasures. With its old shipping warehouses, quiet cobblestone streets, hand-operated drawbridges and picture-perfect canals, it’s enchanting for a stroll. It’s quite astounding that so many tourists flock to Volendam, only 2km away, instead, unless Edam’s cheese market is on.
In the 16th century Willem van Oranje bestowed on Edam the right to hold a Kaasmarkt, which was the town’s economic anchor right through to the 1920s. At its peak, 250,000 rounds of cheese were sold here every year. On the western side of Kaasmarkt stands the 1778 Kaaswaag, the cheese weigh house, which has a display about the town’s chief product.
