Schiedam: Genever history, windmills and polders

Schiedam combines its Genever heritage with the history of windmills and polders, art and green spaces. Its museums focus on distilling, local history and modern art, while windmill sites illustrate historic ways of life and work. Other ways to make the most of your stay include a city scavenger hunt, themed walks and sports activities.

Genever and windmill history

The Nationaal Jenevermuseum Schiedam is housed in a former malt wine distillery. It explores the art of distilling, Schiedam’s role as a Genever city and the influence of advertising on Genever’s image. Its focus therefore extends beyond production and the product to include the history that has developed around the drink and how it is portrayed.

The Distillers Tours in Schiedam offer a different perspective. The programme includes visits to historic distilleries, insights into the production and distillation of Genever and gin, tastings and workshops. While the museum covers several aspects of Genever history, these tours focus on distilleries and production processes.

Museummolen De Walvisch has been a museum windmill since February 2018. It explores Schiedam’s large malt and distillery windmills, which ground grain exclusively for the Genever industry and are described as the tallest windmills in the world. Babbersmolen, meanwhile, is the oldest surviving stone polder windmill in the Netherlands. Its grounds feature a working windmill yard, a historic miller’s house with a box bed, a wetland with pollarded willows and a duck decoy. The visitor experience shows how a miller’s family lived off wind, land and water around 100 years ago.

Visitors to Babbersmolen can also use a large wooden scoop wheel and sluices to flood and drain an interactive miniature polder. This offers a hands-on experience of water management and complements the insight into everyday life at the windmill yard.

Local history, art and architecture

The collection at Stedelijk Museum Schiedam comprises more than 15,000 objects: 8,000 historical objects relating to the city’s history and 7,000 works of modern art dating from 1947 to the present. The local history collection and modern art thus represent two distinct areas of focus under one roof.

Schiedam’s architectural history can also be read in individual buildings. Korenbeurs is a monumental building erected in 1787 under the direction of Italian architect Carlo Giovanni Francesco Giudici, known in the Netherlands as Jan Giudici (1746–1819). Liduina Basilica was built as a neo-Gothic church to a design by architect E.J. Margry between 1878 and 1881; it was elevated to basilica status in 1990.

In the north of Schiedam, the historic village centre of Kethel has preserved its rural and agricultural character, with historic buildings and polder landscapes. Park de Plantage offers a contrast to the built environment and is described as the oldest city park in the Netherlands. Its distinctive features include a 150-year-old Oriental plane tree descended from the Anne Frank tree, as well as an art collection.

Polders, parks and activities

Speelpolder Het Wijland lies on the edge of Schiedam in the expansive Midden-Delfland and can be reached by a hand-pulled ferry. The facilities include sand and water play, as well as various ways to cross ditches using logs and rope structures. The site combines polder landscapes with active play, while Prinses Beatrixpark offers a different focus, with a 200-metre sprint track and two running routes.

For a bike ride, try Schiedams Reuzenavontuur, a route featuring Schiedam’s tallest windmills, pancake stops, playgrounds and a flock of sheep. If you would rather explore different themes on foot, “Schiedam op de kaart” offers information and photos of important monuments, along with numerous themed walks and historic maps.

Stadsganzenbord Schiedam is a fun scavenger hunt through the city centre: teams use a historic city map to find marked locations and complete tasks. The city launched the activity on 28 May 2025; check before your trip to see whether it is available. This gives you the flexibility to choose activities to suit your interests, from windmill and polder history to art and active routes.

Getting to Stedelijk Museum

Stedelijk Museum Schiedam is a 20-minute walk from the station. Bus routes 51 and 54 and tram routes 1 and 11 stop at Koemarkt, a three-minute walk from the museum. The route and service information was checked on 28 August 2026; check current services before travelling, as public transport may change.

For the broader travel overview: Schiedam.