Hoorn is one of the oldest towns in Noord Holland, legend has it that it was founded in 716 by a son of Frisian king Redbad.
Over the next centuries Hoorn became a major trading town and got wealthy enough to buy city rights in 1356.

The Dutch Golden Age were good times, with ships from Hoorn sailing the high seas to the East, the West and the North, bringing back tremendous wealth.

Famous son of Hoorn Willem Schouten, rounded the rugged southern tip of South America in 1616 and named it Kaap Hoorn, now known as Cape Horn.

Heavy-handed Jan Pieterzoon Coen founded Batavia, now Jakarta, in 1619, a feat that earned him a statue in the center square of Hoorn.

Those good times did not last and by the end of the 18 century the town turned its back to the sea and became a market for local agriculture products like cheese.
Today Hoorn sits at the center of a thriving horticultural region (tulips!).

Hoorn's old town is very well preserved with many characteristic buildings dating from the 17 century.

We visited Hoorn in August 2018.