Discover Purmer

Purmer is a polder landscape created by land reclamation. When planning your trip, it is worth looking at its historical features as well as its woodland and cycle paths. This will help you decide whether you are especially interested in the cultural landscape, outdoor activities in Purmerbos or one of the cycling routes.

Polder landscape and historical features

The ring canal, ditches, roads and planting lines form historical features of Purmer’s landscape. In some areas, the characteristic parcel pattern is also still visible, particularly in undeveloped areas. The parcels give the landscape a distinct structure; waterways and paths are also among its historical traces. Anyone interested in the development of cultural landscapes will find several different features here, rather than just one historical site.

Purmerdijk can also be understood in this context: the ring dike of Purmer is part of the main defensive line of the Defence Line of Amsterdam (Stelling van Amsterdam). The old village of Purmerbuurt is at the junction of Westerweg and Purmerenderweg. These two places show different sides of Purmer’s history—the water-management landscape and the historic settlement.

Purmerbos and Groenewoud

Purmerbos has an adventurous woodland playground for children. The quiet nature forest, meanwhile, is a refuge for many birds and mammals. Runners, cyclists and horse riders can exercise and enjoy outdoor activities in the peaceful surroundings of Purmerbos. Several interests are therefore catered to here: a play area for children, a refuge for wildlife and the explicitly mentioned opportunities for outdoor activities.

Another place with its own history is the old standard orchard of Groenewoud. It is located at the junction of Westerweg and Groeneweg, beside the cycle path. Volunteers have maintained and rejuvenated the orchard for eight years. It belonged to Groenewoud Farm, one of the three oldest farms in the reclaimed Purmer. The farm dates back to 1623. The orchard thus connects a specific place with the history of a farm; its location at the junction also distinguishes it from the landscape features and paths that shape Purmer as a whole.

Compare cycling paths and routes

Groeneweg is now a paved cycle path. It runs from Oosterweg through Purmer to Purmerend and back. There are also the routes “History and Water Heritage in Purmer-Zuid” and “History and Water Heritage in Purmer-Noord.” The southern route is 15 km long and runs through the southern part of Purmer; it starts at the junction of Purmerenderweg and Westerweg, near Purmerkerk. The northern route runs through the northern part and is 17 km long. This makes it two kilometres longer than the southern route. When choosing, both the stated distance and the part of Purmer each route passes through provide concrete points of comparison.

Water heritage and historical dates

One route leads to a monument to Jan Adriaansz Leeghwater. He helped reclaim several lakes in Noord-Holland, including Purmer in 1622. Molentocht is a mill ditch through Purmer Forest near Purmerend; three mills once pumped water out along it. There is also a historical connection along Purmerenderweg: in 1922, the year marking the 300th anniversary of the reclamation of Purmer, there were several ceremonial arches there, including one on Purmerenderweg. The years 1622 and 1623 refer to different things: the reclamation of Purmer and Groenewoud Farm, respectively.

Discover more destinations: Uitdam, Marken, Ilpendam, Zuiderwoude, Katwoude, Monnickendam, Broek In Waterland, Watergang.

For the broader travel overview: Waterland.