Up to the thirteenth century this area was under the influence of the Frisian Norbertine monastery, Mariëngaarde. Monnickendam probably takes its name from the monks of this monastery. In 1355, Duke Willem of Bavaria gave Monnickendam its city rights. With the construction of a church where the Kerkstraat, Noordeinde and Middendam meet, Monnickendam was a fact. Nowadays, all that remains of this building is the Bell Tower. This bell tower is home to the oldest functioning Carillion in the world and the Angel of fame who blows his trumpet every hour. Since August 2012, the Bell Tower is home to the new Waterland museum, De Speeltoren (The Bell Tower).

The protected cityscape includes many historical houses of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Such as ‘de Waegh’ where once cheese was tested and weighed, but also where women accused of witchcraft were later weighed. If they were too light, they were labelled as a witch, like the famous Wendelmoet Claesdochter.

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Monnickendam