Alkmaar Cheese Market in The Netherlands
Alkmaar in the Netherlands has the world’s biggest, most-visited and best cheese market, There is no prettier or more characteristic Dutch sight than this cheese market, with these guys in white running around carrying these big loads of cheese back and forth. What is going on? You are about to find out.
For centuries the cheese market has been important for the city of Alkmaar and in recent years it has developed into one of the leading visitor attractions in the country. It's an easy day trip from Amsterdam, just about 40 minutes away by train or by guided tour on a bus.
Alkmaar is much more than just cheese. It's a typical small Dutch city which means it has many historic, well-preserved buildings and beautiful canals lots of shops, restaurants, cafés and pedestrian lanes to stroll on. We will see more of the town in a different segment but for now we are focusing attention on the wonderful cheese market.
Almost 700 years ago, Alkmaar was already a cheese town. In 1365 the city was granted weighing rights and got their first cheese scale -- in 1612 this number of scales increased to four.
Over time, the cheese market frequently needed more space. Markets were the economic engine in those days, so houses were sometimes demolished to increase market space. Over the course of two centuries, it was enlarged no fewer than eight times before reaching its current dimensions.
Alkmaar's status as the cheese capital has become increasingly famous over the years and the cheese market became ever more popular, and now it’s the biggest in the country.
In the past, most cheese was transported by boat or horse. And this centuries-old tradition has survived in part to this very day. During every market, cheese laden boats sail from the North Holland Canal to the square, just as they did in the past.
The market is on every Friday from the end of March through September and during July and August it also functions on Tuesday evenings.
The cheese workers are members of the cheese guild, like a union, and they’re divided up into teams as shown by their hat colors, blue, yellow, red and green.
The overall manager is called the Cheese Father and he wears an orange hat.
We had a chance to speak with an official of the group who helped describe the situation for us
My position, is I was the Cheese Father of this guild for many years and now I am the tourist guide.
We’ll hear more from Kees Koopman during the program.
Right before 10.00 AM everyone waits for the market to get under way as the lady speaker welcomes visitors in as many languages as possible. She tells the general public about what they’re about to see at the market.
In a few minutes the bell is ringing and the market is starting.
At 10 am the bell rings (bell sound). It’s the sign indicating the start of the cheese market. The ringing of the bell is often done by a visitor to the market, at the invitation of the council of Alkmaar. For example it might be a famous Dutch person from sports or TV, or a foreign ambassador.
As soon as the market opens, the samplers and traders go to work. Inspecting cheese is more than just looking at its exterior. Cheese is knocked on and a special cheese scoop is used to obtain a piece, which is then crumbled between the fingers and smelled. And, naturally, it is tasted to assess the relation between taste, and the percentages of fat and moisture.
Many lucky people in the audience get a free taste and some of them even get to push that coring tool into the cheese, it's something like an apple corer and pull out a sample for themselves
It will come as no surprise that everybody will have a chance to purchase as much cheese as they want from the vendors who are surrounding the cheese market area — you'll see more of that coming right up.
Cheese is transported on the wooden barrow hanging between two cheese carriers, holding about 8 Gouda cheeses, each of them weighing 13,5 kilos. Carrying a heavy barrow, with a total weight of about 130 kilos.
Walking with that heavy barrow or stretcher appears much easier than it seems. But there is a special technique. In order to facilitate the walking rhythm and to prevent the stretcher from hitting their legs, the men walk 'out of step' in the strange looking cheese bearers' trot. This keeps the stretcher movement to a minimum, ensuring the barrow hangs as still as possible.
[Music plays]
We work you see with four groups, you see four different colors. Each group is seven people. There are six carriers and the seventh works on the scale – that is a very important man because in the early days, he counts the money from the buyers, the ones who have trade, for each kilo that we carry.
We've got the two big factories here in the north of the Netherlands and they make millions of kilos of cheese each year, and it goes around the world.
The cheese market at Alkmaar - Holland Holiday
Alkmaar Kaasmarkt
When you think of Holland you will probably think of wooden shoes, tulips and old windmills. But also of cheese. It is one of the most important export products of Holland. That is why the Dutch are sometimes nicknamed 'Kaaskoppen', ‘Cheeseheads’.
All over the Netherlands there are cheese markets, but the most famous one you will find in the cozy city of Alkmaar, only about 40 kilometers from Amsterdam.
Alkmaar has an attractive historical center with beautiful canals and old facades.
Every Friday from the end of March till the end of September you can visit the cheese market on the ‘Waagplein’ (check their website on Holland Holiday.net)
Formerly the cheeses were brought in boats.
The market is officially opened by the ringing of a bell.
In this case a special guest, the ambassador of India, had this task.
As soon as the market opens, the samplers and traders inspect the cheeses.
Cheese is knocked on and a special cheese scoop is used to extract a piece, which is then crumbled between the fingers, smelled, and tasted.
The cheeses are loaded onto barrows. 8 Cheeses on a barrow weigh 130 kilos. Carrying such a heavy barrow is not easy.
The carriers walk with a special 'cheese carriers dribble'. Deliberately out of step, ensuring the barrow hangs as still as possible.
First they take the barrow with cheeses to the ‘Waag’ where its is weighed.
Then the cheeses are loaded in a handcart and after that loaded into trucks.
Besides the cheese market Alkmaar is an attractive city to visit.
Watch our video ‘Cheese City Alkmaar’.
Music:
Parisian Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
Alkmaar Cheese Market
Dutch cheese market from Alkmaar - Cheese was traded on Waagplein square as early as 1365, when the city had only a single cheese scale. The cheeses are put in place early in the morning, the market masters and traders check if everything looks good. About 2,200 cheeses -- 30,000 kilograms worth of cheese! -- are lined up, waiting for the buyers.
Alkmaar, Netherlands city tour and boat ride
We are visiting the small and historic Dutch city of Alkmaar. It's in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands about 10 km from the coast and 40 km northwest of Amsterdam. You might not spend the night here, but it makes a lovely daytrip destination with its large number of historic buildings, many shops large and small, lots of Dutch food, lovely canals and one important event.
Alkmaar is most famous for its cheese market that happens every week from March until the end of September and we have a complete separate movie about the cheese market that you can see here:
In this vbideowe’re going to show you that there is a lot more to see in town besides the cheese market, so by all means spend a few more hours when you get here and walk around in the charming little pedestrian zone, and take a boat ride through the scenic canals passing a lot of very old brick bridges and buildings.
The historic center of the old city is relatively small, just about a kilometer across with several main shopping streets for pedestrians so you can easily walk around in a couple of hours and maybe take an hour for a meal and spend at least half a day here, or maybe the full day with the cheese market, then shopping, eating, strolling, and just enjoying the pedestrian atmosphere of this historic old city.
It's especially lively on cheese market day with lots of sidewalk stands set up selling crafts and foods, and clothing, all kinds of souvenirs, some big wooden shoes, and of course you'll have a variety of different types of locally produced cheeses.
The sidewalk stands are carrying on a long historical tradition because up until the 19th century, most food and agricultural products were traded on street markets.
We'll see a lot more of the city coming right up including a canal boat ride. But first a little discussion of how to get here.
Most visitors to Alkmaar are staying in Amsterdam and coming up here as a daytrip.
Perhaps the best way to get here is by train directly from Amsterdam Central Station -- just takes about 35 to 40 minutes to get up here and you will have the services of the excellent Dutch rail system with departures four times an hour on trains that are clean and smooth and not expensive.
Recapping our walk starting at the train station. We have gone through the middle of the old city and now have reached the center of the shopping and cultural area.
And here we've got sidestreets as well that are fascinating for strolling along and doing some more shopping.
These blocks in the city center preserve that 17th-century pattern of canals and narrow streets with many historic buildings we have reached the most beautiful part of Alkmaar.
Here are all of the elements of a traditional Dutch city come together what you would hope to find when you visit Holland old brick buildings along the canal Terrace restaurant with a view of the passing parade of people with shops and benches and flowerpots in the street lamps.
You might consider this the center of town with this impressive bridge in front of the Weigh House and leading across the canal to a lovely little shopping district with more of these pedestrian lanes with little boutiques tucked away. You could wander for hours.
This neighborhood in front of the Weigh House is action central for all the boats going through the town. Here you'll find several different choices for joining up with a boat tour. Some of them are just casual friends getting together, others are organized by various companies in town.
Cheese city Alkmaar - Holland Holiday
Cheese City Alkmaar –
Enjoy culture and shopping
Cheese city Alkmaar is a very cozy city, 40 kilometers north of Amsterdam.
The old city centre offers you beautiful canals with historic facades.
Enjoy pleasant shopping streets.
Small picturesque streets lead to cozy restaurants, bars and sunny terraces.
For culture lovers there is also much to enjoy. Alkmaar has about 400 monuments.
Museums, cinema’s and an impressive theatre are waiting for you.
Old windmills adorn the city.
A famous stage mill in the city centre is ‘De Molen van Piet’, which means ‘Piet’s Mill’.
Near Alkmaar are attractive coastal villages such as Bergen aan Zee and Egmond aan Zee. Take a day of rest on one of their wonderful beaches.
Most of all Alkmaar is famous for its historic Cheese Market.
Every Friday in spring, summer and autumn you can enjoy this spectacular event.
Watch our video ‘Alkmaar Cheese market’
Find out more on HollandHolliday.net
Music:
Easy Lemon van Kevin MacLeod is gelicentieerd onder een Creative Commons Attribution-licentie (
Bron:
Artiest:
Happy Strummin van Audionautix is gelicentieerd onder een Creative Commons Attribution-licentie (
Artiest:
CHEESE MARKET IN ALKMAAR, HOLLAND 2019
The Alkmaar Cheese Market is one of the most well-known cheese markets in Holland as it is an easy day trip from Amsterdam.
Cheese market Alkmaar 2012
There are five cheese markets operating in the Netherlands. Alkmaar is like traditional merchant cheese market as operated in the post-medieval period, re-enacted during the summer months for tourists.
Thousands of visitors from all over the world visit Alkmaar for its cheese market, a particular spectacle which includes a market filled with cheese and hauling cheese carriers. The cheese market has taken place on the Waagplein in Alkmaar since 1593. From opening ceremonies to final load, market activities are explained in Dutch, German, English and sometimes Japanese.
Alkmaar - The Netherlands
Alkmaar | The best kept secret city in the world!
Impression of Alkmaar, The Netherlands
Alkmaar, The Netherlands(City Center Tour)with Summer Fair.. walking and cycling.. GoPro
Cheese city Alkmaar - Holland Holiday
dutch girls
My Alkmaar Cheese Market
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Going into the town I grew up in, Alkmaar, to go and see the cheesemarket for the first time in my life.
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Alkmaar Cheese Market 18 May 2018 . Holland
Alkmaar Cheese Market 18 May 2018 . Holland
Alkmaar Cheese Market, marché aux fromages, Holland
There are five cheese markets operating in the Netherlands. Woerden is a modern working commercial cheese market. Four, Alkmaar, Gouda, Edam and Hoorn, are like traditional merchant cheese markets as operated in the post-medieval period, re-enacted during the summer months for tourists. The shows are today surrounded by stalls selling all things traditional to the Dutch culture, including cheese.
Dutch cheese farmers traditionally brought their cheeses to the market square in town to sell. Teams (vemen) of official guild cheese-porters (kaasdragers), identified by differently coloured straw hats associated with their forwarding company, carried the farmers' cheese on barrows, which typically weighed about 160 kilograms. Buyers then sampled the cheeses and negotiated a price using a ritual system called handjeklap in which buyers and sellers clap each other's hands and shout prices.[1] Once a price is agreed, the porters carry the cheese to the weighing house (Waag), and scale of their company.
Le marché au fromage d'Alkmaar est l'attraction par excellence de la ville. Tous les vendredis, d'avril en septembre, vous pouvez assister au marché traditionnel sur lequel les fromages sont vendus, et ce de la même façon depuis des siècles. Ne manquez pas ce spectacle folklorique et coloré sur la place Waagplein si vous êtes à Alkmaar un vendredi.
Traditions séculaires
En 1365 déjà, avec une seule balance à l'époque, le fromage était vendu sur la place Waagplein. Les fromages sont présentés tôt le matin et les commerçants et les placiers veillent à que les fromages soient « beaux » toute la matinée. Environ 30 000 kilos ou 2 200 fromages attendent les acheteurs.
Porteurs de fromages
Indissociables du marché au fromage, voici les porteurs de fromages. Mais aussi les « présentateurs », les « lanceurs » et les « placiers » sont des personnes qui déterminent la silhouette du marché. Ils sont organisés dans une guilde qui connait énormément de traditions. Le marché au fromage d'Alkmaar est un spectacle fascinant. Renseignez-vous sur place par rapport aux différentes possibilités (visites guidées pour des enfants ou des groupes) et les horaires.
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Music : Het_Gloren_-_Zomerdagen_oostenwind
The Art of Clog making demonstrated at the Cheese Market in Alkmaar, The Netherlands
Alkmaar was alive with many of the skills that made The Netherlands famous over the centuries and none more so than Clog making. An Irishwebtv.com Media Group Production.
Alkmaar - The Netherlands
A Nice Walk Around Alkmaar in Holland, the Netherlands
The Virtual Tourist walks around Alkmaar in Holland, the Netherlands
Famous Alkmaar Cheese Market 18.05. 2018 . Holland .
Famous Alkmaar Cheese Market 18.05. 2018 . Holland .
Alkmaar Cheese Market
Holland, Alkmaar.
Dutch cheese market - kaasmarkt in Alkmaar 2011 - Part 1
This is the first time I visit Dutch cheese market(15-APRIL-2011). It begins the event at 10:00 AM in Waagplein in Alkmaar. It took me 2 hrs to travel by train to get there. The event will begin in Waagplein on every Friday from April to September every year. It starts at 10:00 and ends at 12:30. There are 2 sessions in the whole show. At 11:00, there is a break. The Beer museum, the cheese museum and the municipal Alkmaar museum are all in the city center. Windmill van Piet is right at the corner of the city center.
Alkmaar cheese market, Netherlands 1929
Marché aux fromages d'Alkmaar, Pays-Bas, 1er février 1929.
Dutch cheese market. Filmed on February 1, 1929. Alkmaar (Netherlands).
Rushes de Fox Movietone. Archives commercialisées par Film Images (film-images.fr).
Pour un usage professionnel, les clips présentés sur cette chaîne sont accessibles en ligne sur film-images.fr (vous vous créez votre compte utilisateur).
For professional use, clips can be seen online at film-images.fr (please register to access the clips).
Pour les historiens :
Best Attractions and Places to See in Alkmaar, The Netherlands
Alkmaar Travel Guide. MUST WATCH. Top things you have to do in Alkmaar. We have sorted Tourist Attractions in Alkmaar for You. Discover Alkmaar as per the Traveler Resources given by our Travel Specialists. You will not miss any fun thing to do in Alkmaar .
This Video has covered top attractions and Best Things to do in Alkmaar.
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List of Best Things to do in Alkmaar, The Netherlands
Grote Sint Laurenskerk
Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar
Cheese Market
Dutch Cheese Museum
Beatles Museum
Alkmaar City Hall
AFAS Stadium
Molen van Groot (Piet)
Nationaal Biermuseum De Boom
het Hof van Sonoy van Alkmaar uit 1574
Alkmaar Cheese Market
A small clip created from Alkmaar's Friday cheese market.
(A post will be available shortly at OurWorldforYou.Com to accompany this clip)