"Enkhuizen - VOC and three herrings " a Enkhuizen Travel Page by Airpunk

Spending some days in Flevoland, it is logical to try and find out a way to get over the Markerwaarddijk to the other side of the Ijsselmmer. Looking from Flevoland, the place on the other side is Enkhuizen, an old dutch harbour town with long history. My first try on July 23rd 2007 failed due to lack of knowledge. I relied on the bus connection between Lelystad and Enkhuizen, not knowing that this line runs only four times a day. I tried again a day later, this time by train and returning via bus. So, I came to Enkhuizen and had a day to explore this town with its maritime history.

Enkhuizen’s history goes back to humble origins in the middle ages, when it was a fishing village. It received city rights in 1385 and prospered from trade in the North and Baltic Sea. When overseas trade began to establish in the 16th century, Enkhuizen was one of the first towns to participate. It became one of the bases of the VOC, which had the exclusive dutch trading rights for East India. From the 18th century on, Enkhuizen was losing its position to Amsterdam and the prospering towns of South Holland, mainly Rotterdam. The silting up of the harbour and finally the closure of the Zuiderzee marked the end as a harbour town for Enkhuizen.