Hoorn is a historic city that played a huge role in maritime trade in the past. has numerous museums with interesting exhibitions, and a lot of historic buildings have been preserved in the center.
The city was founded in the mid-fourteenth century, and experienced its greatest boom in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It was related to geographical discoveries and the development of deep-sea trade. One of the six East India Company headquarters was located in Hoorn, and the ships here reached the most remote parts of America. From Hoorn came the sailor Willem Schouten, who in 1616 circumnavigated the southernmost tip of South America and named it Cape Horn in honor of his hometown.
Hoorn's rich past is reminiscent of its monuments. Visiting Hoorn is a fascinating journey through time, among buildings from the 15th to 17th centuries. There are numerous tenement houses, two Gothic churches, remains of city fortifications and merchant residences.
A big attraction of Hoorn are the local museums. Among them, the Westfries Museum introducing the history of the region, the Hoorn Sailing Heritage Center, where you can learn about the city's connections with the sea and deep-sea trade, and the Museum of the 20th century with exhibitions telling about scientific discoveries and civilization changes.
An interesting tourist attraction is the Hoorn-Medemblik Steam Tram Museum, where you can go on a trip with the historic steam tram as well as the former ferry and vintage bus.
