The Dutch Republic ruled global trade routes for much of the 1600s, and its northern port cities accumulated staggering fortunes from spices, Baltic grain, and overseas commerce. Today, these same settlements function as regional towns where fewer than 20,000 residents live among architectural remnants of their prosperous past. The transformation reveals which elements of 17th-century power structures survived into the present—and which vanished entirely.

‍

‍

‍

Hoorn: From Baltic Grain Hub to Regional Museum City

Then: Hoorn's wealth predated the official Dutch Golden Age by several decades. Starting in the mid-1500s, the city capitalized on the Little Ice Age's crop failures across Europe by dominating grain trade with the Baltic Sea. After the Battle of the Zuiderzee in 1573 freed the city from Spanish control, maritime commerce accelerated rapidly. When the VOC formed on March 20, 1602, Hoorn secured one of six chamber seats, with one representative on the governing Lords Seventeen. The 1632 Statencollege building—where these administrators met—demonstrated the city's political importance through its Dutch Renaissance architecture.

Now: The Statencollege houses the Westfries Museum, which displays VOC artifacts and Golden Age paintings. The museum closed in 2025 for extensive renovations and won't reopen until mid-2027. Visitors can currently access the temporary location at Statenpoort on Nieuwstraat (€7.50 for adults, open 11 AM-4 PM), where a multimedia show covers Hoorn's history before guided walking routes through the preserved city center. The harbor still attracts recreational sailors, though commercial shipping ceased generations ago.

‍

‍

‍

Enkhuizen: Spice Warehouse to Living History Museum

Then: As another VOC chamber city, Enkhuizen held one seat on the Lords Seventeen and operated extensive spice warehouses. The Peperhuis—constructed in the 1600s—stored pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon shipped from Indonesia before redistribution across Europe. The city's prosperity funded over 360 buildings now classified as rijksmonumenten (national heritage sites), including the Drommedaris tower from 1540 and the late-Gothic Westerkerk. Maritime commerce made Enkhuizen one of the wealthiest settlements in the Republic until the economic decline that began after 1672.

Now: Enkhuizen's population stands at approximately 18,843 residents in 2025. The former VOC Peperhuis now forms part of the Zuiderzee Museum, which operates two sections: an indoor Treasure House open daily year-round (10 AM-5 PM) and an outdoor village with 140 reconstructed historic buildings operating April through October. The museum documents life around the Zuiderzee before the 1932 Afsluitdijk converted the inland sea to the current IJsselmeer. Direct trains from Amsterdam Central reach Enkhuizen in approximately one hour, with ticket prices ranging €8.30-€13.80.

‍

‍

‍

Medemblik: Castle Town Without the VOC

Then: While Medemblik never held a VOC chamber, it functioned as an administrative center for West Friesland. The 13th-century Castle Radboud served defensive and governmental purposes throughout the Golden Age. The city's location on the Zuiderzee provided access to herring fisheries and regional trade networks, though it never approached the commercial scale of Hoorn or Enkhuizen.

Now: Medemblik markets itself as "the oldest town in West Friesland" and maintains a Regatta Center hosting international sailing competitions. Castle Radboud underwent recent renovations and opens for tours. The city's economy depends primarily on water sports tourism rather than the fishing industry that once employed most residents. Ferry services connect Medemblik to Enkhuizen during summer months aboard historic vessels.

‍

‍

‍

Edam: Cheese Brand That Outlasted the Port

Then: Edam received city rights from Count William V in 1357, including the privilege to operate a duty-free port. During the Golden Age, the city developed significant shipyards and timber trade operations. Several Golden Age painters originated from Edam, including Jan Janz Slop (1643-1727) and Abraham Staphorst (circa 1638-1696).

Now: Edam's cheese market operates as a tourist attraction, though actual cheese production relocated elsewhere decades ago. The compact historic center preserves merchant houses and canals from the 1600s. The city functions as part of the larger Edam-Volendam municipality, which recorded 36,268 residents in 2021. Visitors arrive primarily for the architectural aesthetics rather than any remaining commercial activities from the Golden Age economy.

‍

‍

What Actually Survived

Three elements persisted from the 17th century into the present: architecture (the buildings prove remarkably durable), administrative borders (these cities remain distinct municipalities), and tourist narratives (the prosperity stories now generate revenue through cultural tourism). The economic functions that built these cities—spice warehousing, international shipping, grain trading—relocated to Rotterdam and other modern ports with deeper water and container facilities. Museums replaced warehouses. The VOC dissolved in 1799, exactly 197 years after its founding, leaving behind buildings but not the commercial networks that justified their construction.