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Oostzaan
Street in Oostzaan
Street in Oostzaan
Flag of Oostzaan
Flag
Coat of arms of Oostzaan
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Oostzaan in a municipal map of North Holland
Location in North Holland
Country Netherlands
Province North Holland
Government
 • Body Municipal council
Area
 • Total 16.08 km2 (6.21 sq mi)
 • Land 11.53 km2 (4.45 sq mi)
 • Water 4.55 km2 (1.76 sq mi)
Elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (May 2014)
 • Total 9,153
 • Density 794/km2 (2,060/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
1510–1511
Area code 075
Gem-Oostzaan-OpenTopo
Map of municipality of Oostzaan, 2022

Oostzaan (Dutch pronunciation: [oːstˈsaːn]) is a municipality and a town in the Zaanstreek, Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The municipality had a population of 9,153 in 2014. Oostzaan has a total area of 16.08 km2 (6.21 sq mi) of which 4.55 km2 (1.76 sq mi) is water.

Oostzaan—together with Westzaan and Assendelft—are considered the "mother towns" of the Zaanstreek (the region around the River Zaan), of which they are the three oldest towns. Oostzaan also played a role in the VOC and WIC shipping and shipbuilding.

17th century Oostzaan was the home of the pirate Claes Compaen. Originally a privateer for the Dutch Republic, he soon began to act as a pirate, capturing several hundred ships. A street in Oostzaan is named after him.

The town has a Reformed church with a cruciform groundplan, the Great Church (1760), which contains two ship models that recall the days when Oostzaan was an important sea-faring community. In the Oostzijderveld area of Oostzaan stands a windmill, De Windjager (The Wind Hunter).

Hamlets

Oostzaan consists of several hamlets,

  • Achterdichting (Get Behind The Seal),
  • De Heul,
  • Kerkbuurt (church neighborhood),
  • Noordeinde (North end),
  • Zuideinde (South end).

Kerkbuurt and the northern part of Zuideinde are the center of Oostzaan.

Economy

The poultry company Meyn Food Processing Technology is headquartered in Oostzaan.

Notable people

Portret van Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen Rijksmuseum SK-A-1405
Jacob Cornelisz, self-portrait, 1533
  • Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen (before 1470 – 1533) a Northern Netherlandish designer of woodcuts and a painter
  • Claes Gerritszoon Compaen (1587 in Oostzaan – 1660 in Oostzaan) a Dutch corsair, merchant, a privateer for the Dutch Republic and pirate
  • Albert Heijn (1865 in Oostzaan – 1945) a Dutch entrepreneur who founded Albert Heijn, a Dutch supermarket chain
  • Grietje de Jongh (1924 in Oostzaan – 2002) a Dutch sprinter, competed at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics
  • Robert Tijdeman (born 1943 in Oostzaan) a Dutch mathematician, specializing in number theory, wrote Tijdeman's theorem
  • Trijnie Rep (born 1950 in Oostzaan) a Dutch former speed skater, who competed at the 1972 Winter Olympics
  • Rosemarijn Dral (born 1985 in Oostzaan) a Dutch politician, member of the Dutch House of Representatives since 2024

Gallery

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