In honour of the birthday of all-powerful Tsar Peter on June the 9th, we celebrate it by highlighting his time in Zaandam.
Almost 300 years ago, the Russian tsar decided that he wanted to learn how to build large ships in Zaandam. To take this knowledge back to Russia and modernize their way of building them. Completely anonymous and without company, he started off in Zaandam as a simple shipbuilder. After all, he knew that the Dutch craftsmen were the most experienced and specialized in the field of shipbuilding. Building ships was part of Peter’s plan to modernize Russia.
The tsar in the Zaan region
However, his stay in Zaandam did not last long. Once the residents of Zaandam recognized him, they immediately organized a big ceremonial welcome and he was followed everywhere. The tsar did not like that attention at all and he preferred to remain anonymous. He then decided to move to Amsterdam after a week. There, he found more peace and could continue his studies of the flourishing shipbuilding.
Tsar Peter house
The cottage where the tsar stayed for a week, grew into a famous attraction. Both for the Royal people of 300 years ago, as for the tourists nowadays. The wooden house was built in 1632 and is one of the oldest wooden houses in the Netherlands. Protected by a stone museum hall since 1823. Both the canopy and the cottage are national monuments and are now managed by the Zaans Museum. When you visit Zaandam, you should pay a visit to the Tsar Peter House.
Because of this extraordinary story, Inntel Hotels Amsterdam Zaandam decided to dedicate a suite and a Tsar Peter the Great Special to this figure of the Zaandam history.
You’ll be surprised.