Broek in Waterland, with its many wooden houses and characteristic streets, is a very picturesque Dutch village just north of Amsterdam. The many attractions of the village have never before been the subject of a book of colour photographs highlighting its architecture. This volume is an attempt to fill this gap. The exteriors and the interiors of a substantial number of buildings in Broek in Waterland have been photographed. Characteristic features and any interesting events in their history have been recorded in brief descriptive texts. An outline of the general history of Broek in Waterland provides a prelude to the photographic survey.
A final selection of fifty premises is presented here. To be included, they had to be prominent and historically and architecturally important. This book documents not only the well-known wooden structures, but also the houses built of stone which started to appear from the eighteenth century. Space has also been reserved for the church and several houseboats in Broek in Waterland. It goes without saying that the village boasts more important premises than those eventually included in this book, but we think this book of photographs offers a representative survey of the village.
The order of appearance is based on a walking tour of the village, which you will find mapped out at the back of the book. In this way you can use the book as a guide for your exploration of Broek in Waterland and its characteristic buildings.
Olaf Klijn, who is an architecture photographer living in the village, took the initiative for producing this book early in 2003. He asked me if I was willing to provide the accompanying texts. The book could not have been produced without the aid of the owners of the premises concerned. Olaf and I have also gratefully availed ourselves of the enthusiastic help of a number of experts, especially Mr. J.W. Niemeijer, Mr. J. Witte and Mr. H. Zantkuijl.
Here we present the results of our cooperation. The current state of Broek in Waterland, a unique village with special buildings and a colourful history.