Listen | Gedempte Where
You are now walking along the Gedempte Where. A river used to run here on the site of this street. Namely, the river de Where. This stream connected the Beemster and Purmer lakes. That made it an important connecting route for shipping.
In the early years of Purmerend, around the year 1300, there was a ferry here across the River Where. This ferry contributed to the development of the town. After all, Purmerend was located at the junction of important waterways and land roads. And the ferry was the only place to cross the river. This made Purmerend the most convenient place in the area to trade.
Around 1970, the municipality decided to drain the Where. Purmerend's population increased and the car entered the townscape. To make the town centre more accessible to this traffic, the council filled in part of the River Where. As you can see, one of Purmerend's main traffic arteries still runs here today.
In the location menu, you can see pictures of what it looked like here when the river still flowed through town. Continue your route to the left with the road on your right.
