Cute Dutch village to charge £15 for visits after Instagrammers take over
Zaanse Schans, famous for its windmills, says enough is enough after 2.8 million tourists crowd out 100 locals
A historic Dutch village famed for its canals and windmills has started charging for visits after 2.8 million tourists swarmed the 100-strong population last year.
Listen to this article
Zaanse Schans, a half hour train ride north of Amsterdam, will now cost €17.50 (£15) for all visitors who do not live in the village to access, its council has said.
Marieke Verweij, director of the village's museum, said: "In 2017 we had 1.7 million visitors, [while] this year we're heading for [upwards of] 2.8 million.
"But this is a small place. We just don't have room for all these people!"
She added: "[They] don't know that people live here so they walk into their gardens, they walk into their houses, they pee into their gardens, they knock on doors, they take pictures, they use selfie sticks to peek into the houses. So no privacy at all."
The village is part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage and the eight windmills along the river, which all have their own unique history and profile, date back from the 16th century.
In addition to the museum, Zaanse Schans also has a Cheese Factory, Wooden Shoe Workshop, Bakery Museum, and Pewter Foundry, which are all free to access.
The picturesque scenery has been the inspiration for artists such as Claude Monet over the years, but more recently has served as a backdrop for social media posts.
If around half of the current visitor numbers stump up the new fee, it could generate €24.5m, which the council has said will be used to maintain the windmills and pay for infrastructure.
However, shop keepers have raised issues with the fee and said that it could lead to significant trade being lost.
Sterre Schaap, who runs a gift shop, told the BBC: “It's awful. It will mean that people who don't have a big wallet won't be able to come here.
"It will mean that we will lose a lot of our shoppers.
"If you're with a family of four and you have parking, it will be around €100. So people won't have a lot of budget for other stuff."
