Walk around Marken, the former island

1 The clog factory

In the past, people throughout the Netherlands often wore clogs. They are sturdy, waterproof, and insulate well against the cold. In the clog workshop you can see how traditional Dutch clogs are made, with daily demonstrations using a hundred-year-old steam engine.

Marken is known for its brown clogs with red roses and green leaves. These were supposedly made by the groom as a surprise for the bride, often while out fishing, which gave him a chance to secretly carve the most beautiful clog. After the wedding, the clogs were placed by the front door as a showpiece. Can you find a pair by a door?

2 Marker harbour

For more than 700 years the harbour was the island's economic centre. Because of the salty water, farming was almost impossible, so fishing became the main source of income. In winter, Marken was sometimes completely unreachable because of ice on the Markermeer, too weak to walk on, but too thick to sail through, a period locals called the "broken ice period."

Today the harbour still holds authentic Marker botters: wooden fishing boats with a flat bottom and a characteristic brown sail, once perfectly suited to the shallow Zuiderzee. The Stichting Marker Botters keeps these boats moored and maintained, keeping the island's fishing history alive.

3 The house of Sijtje Boes

This house was not restored for tourists; it shows an authentic Marker home exactly as it was left in 1982, with traditional clothing, a bed alcove and antiques that Sijtje Boes collected herself. Known as the "mother of tourism in Marken," she began selling souvenirs and charging visitors to see inside her home as early as the start of the 20th century, keeping it strictly traditional to show Marker culture to the world while the rest of it modernised.