Feathered shoeaholic - a photo on Flickriver

            Shop sign of a shoe shop with the words "Desen haen heft laersen aen” (in English: "This cock is wearing boots"), Edam, Noord-Holland (North Holland), Netherlands

Some background information:

Edam is a small town in the municipality of Edam-Volendam. It has more than 7,000 residents and is located in the Dutch province of North Holland about 20 km (12.5 miles) north of the capital city Amsterdam. Edam has a beautiful old quarter. But the most obvious association with the name "Edam" is "cheese". For centuries the well-known round Edam cheese has been sent from Edam to all corners of the world.

The history of Edam began in the 12th century, when farmers and fishermen settled along the little Ye river. In 1230, the town was first mentioned in a document. At that time the coves of the Zuiderzee were developed for trade and a dam was built by the Ye, where the trade goods had to be transhipped. The settlement at this dam was called "Yedam", from which today’s name "Edam" derives. While transhipping the goods, customs dues were charged too. That’s why Edam began to prosper, but shipbuilding, herring fishery and the cheese market also contributed to the settlement’s growing affluence.

In 1357, Edam was vested the town privilege by Wilhelm V, Earl of Holland. Hence, the new town was also attributed the right to found a new port at the Zuiderzee. However, the town fathers even planned two harbours: the Voorhaven and the Oorgat. After their construction Edam got not only a better sea connection, but saw also many trading vessels from home and abroad passing the town to reach the big cities in North Holland by also crossing the Purmer, a newly reclaimed inland lake.

As of the 15th century, the Edam cheese market became an important economic factor. In 1526, the town was also granted the right of a weekly market and the right of a cheese weighing scale by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. But in 1544, Charles V decided, that Edam’s open access to the Zuiderzee had to be closed because of the effects of the tides. Edam’s citizens spoke out vigorously against this decision and in 1570 they destroyed the gates of the lock currently under construction. However, the lock was still built and as a result knocked out the Edam’s ambitions to become an even more important harbour town.

From then on Edam confined itself to shipbuilding and the trade of cheese. Economic growth declined, but the townspeople still stayed wealthy. Well into the 17th century, had a great number of ship yards building many famous ships. A good example is the "Halve Maan" (in English: "Half Moon"), the ship that the Englishman Henry Hudson sailed in 1609 when attempting to discover a northern route to the East Indies. A futile attempt in fact, because Hudson stranded on the island of Manhattan.

Today Edam is a town with an authentic 17th century architecture, convincing proof of its rich past. When walking along the old streets and quiet canals, one can easily imagine how it must have been in a Dutch town centuries ago. Tradition also lives on in today's cheese markets, which are hold every year on Wednesdays in the summer months July and August. The farmers bring their "Noordwester Edammer" to market by boat or horse-drawn cart. They then have their cheese laid down on the ground by members of the cheese bearers’ guild. After the cheese is tasted and found to be of acceptable quality, the cheese bearers transport the cheese wheels to the weighing scale, where the old ritual of bargaining and clapping hands take place, after which the cheese is loaded up again. Although the cheese markets attract a lot of visitors, cheese is sold in numerous shops all year round of course.

Taken in: Nederland / Noord-Holland / Edam / Singelwijk (show map)

Taken on: September 5, 2017

Tags:

Europe

Nederland

Niederlande

Holland

Noord-Holland

North Holland

Nordholland

Dutch

holländisch

Edam

Edam-Volendam

sign

Schild

shop sign

Ladenschild

Zunftschild

Hängeschild

Reklame

promotional sign

Werbeschild

promotion

advert

advertising

Reklameschild

shoe shop

shoe store

Schuhgeschäft

Schuhladen

shop

Geschäft

Laden

shoes

Schuhe

boots

Stiefel

cock

rooster

Hahn

town

Stadt

harbour town

harbor town

port town

seaport

seaport town

Hafenstadt

small town

Kleinstadt

old town

old quarter

historic district

Altstadt

cheese

Käse

Edamer

Edammer

cheese market

Käsemarkt

clouds

Wolken

overcast sky

bedeckter Himmel

cloud-covered sky

wolkenverhangener Himmel

sky

Himmel

summer

Sommer

September

2017 « less

Sets appears in: • Netherlands 2017 • Signs of pubs, restaurants, shops, museums etc.

Groups appears in: • Nederland/The Netherlands • Dutch more » • European Vacation • Sign City • Signs of theTimes ©®™ (Sign Pictures) • Geotagged: Netherlands • Zunftzeichen + Werbeschilder • Strictly GeoTagged (no 30/60 limit) • Fotografie Nederland • The concept is Europe • Sign of the Times (All Types of Signs) • Hanging signs of shops and public houses only. « less

Camera: Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, f/4.0, 1/1000 sec, 14.2mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
Lens:	5.0-100.0 mm
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1000)
Focal Length:	14.2mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
Show full info

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