Listen | Tile mosaics Kerkstraat
Around the year 1400, a path came into existence from Zaandam to Oostzaan, the Kerkepad. For many years, this was the route for Zaandammers from the Zuiderven, via the present Wachterstraat and the Weerpad, to the Grote Kerk in Oostzaan. At the time, Oostzaan was still called Oostsaenden.
Every Sunday, Zaandammers made this walk of about 2.5 kilometres to the Grote Kerk in Oostzaan to attend mass, as they did not have their own church back then. The former Church Path reminds us of these early religious trips and the connection between Zaandam and Oostzaan.
Nowadays, the former Kerkepad is known as Kerkstraat. In 2014, Kerkstraat was embellished with fifteen colourful mosaic tiles, designed by primary school pupils from De Korenaar in Oostzaan and from De Gouw, Paus Joannes and De Tamarinde in Zaandam. The children created drawings of, amongst other things, churches, windmills and a mosque, which were transformed into beautiful mosaics by the artists Anke and Ineke Breur. These mosaic tiles not only enhance the visual appeal of Kerkstraat, but also link the street’s past with the present.
