Schardam: Locks, Churches and Landscape

Schardam combines water-management heritage with church architecture and routes that showcase different aspects of the landscape. If you are looking for a hotel in Schardam, the character of the town can help you choose your destination: the locks reveal the historic role of water in defense, while the Hervormde Kerk offers insight into architectural history and craftsmanship. Hiking and cycling routes add further highlights. This makes it possible to understand Schardam through its distinctive structures, their history, and the surrounding landscape.

Locks and the Stelling van Amsterdam

The Hornsluis near Lutje Schardam lies just north of the town and is a Rijksmonument dating from 1735. In the event of an enemy threat, it was used as a flooding lock for the Stelling van Amsterdam. It therefore represents the military use of water for defense. The Noorder- en Zuidersluis in Schardam are also Rijksmonumenten and part of the town’s water-management heritage. Among other things, they serve as inlet locks for the Stelling van Amsterdam. The structures illustrate different functions within the same historic defensive system: at the Hornsluis, the focus is on flooding, while the other two locks served as inlets. For anyone interested in the connection between engineering and history, these structures provide tangible points of reference.

The Hervormde Kerk in Schardam

The Hervormde Kerk at Schardam 27 is a small, single-nave building with a five-sided chancel. Its single-nave layout and polygonal end give the church a clearly defined form. The building probably dates from 1662. The tower houses a bell made by Geert van Wou in 1497. Two different dates are therefore associated with the building: the church’s date is probable, while an exact year of manufacture is given for the bell. For travelers who appreciate historic religious buildings and craftsmanship, architecture and bell history come together here.

Hiking and cycling routes

When planning a trip on foot or by bicycle, it is useful to distinguish between the routes. The locks of Schardam are on the walking route for the third stage of the Zuiderzeepad. On the Amsterdam–Hoorn section of the Zuiderzeeroute, the cycling route passes the locks of Schardam. This brings two different route perspectives together in Schardam: the Zuiderzeepad as a walking route and the Zuiderzeeroute as a cycling route. Another themed option is the Kerkenroute, part of a larger QR route devoted to religious heritage in Noord-Holland. It passes the churches of Kwadijk, Middelie, Oosthuizen, Beets, Schardam, Etersheim, and Warder. While the first two routes place the locks in a hiking or cycling context, the Kerkenroute focuses on churches across several towns. Check the latest route information before your trip.

Views from the dike and seasonal nature

North of the locks of Schardam, the road leads onto a dike. From there, the expansive view stretches across the Markermeer to the distant skyline of Hoorn. The view offers a different focus from the historic structures: instead of individual details, it is the open waterscape that takes center stage. The final part of the walk follows the wet Oosterkoog along the edge of the Markermeer. Eurasian curlews are found there in winter and black-tailed godwits in spring. This seasonal distinction may help you choose when to travel: the dike offers sweeping landscape views, while the birdlife varies between winter and spring.

Discover more destinations: Oosthuizen, Warder, Kwadijk, Beets, Middelie

See the main travel overview: Zeevang.