Troeter route

The Troeterroute is a beautiful circular walk using nodes of the Noord-Holland walking network. The route runs through the historic centre of the former Zuiderzee town of Monnickendam and through recreation area Hemmeland overlooking the Gouwzee. The walk goes back along the old sea dyke and along the southern edge of the town.

A swear name as a nickname:
The inhabitants of fishing towns along the IJsselmeer coast have often acquired a nickname over time, usually serving as a swear name. For instance, Markers are also called 'bears' and Volendammers 'trousers'. Monnickendammers are sometimes referred to as 'troeters'. Troet is a kind of porridge that used to be eaten a lot. It was typical poor man's food. Nutritious, but not particularly tasty. At the beginning of the last century, poverty was rife in Monnickendam. Hovels determined a significant part of the townscape. Many inhabitants worked in fish smokehouses and depended on the quantity of fish brought in. In lean times, there was hardly any work for them. In the Waag near the harbour, trott was distributed in hard times.

Details en route:
A. Grote Kerk: the tower of the Grote Kerk measures a whopping 56 metres. The late Gothic hall church was built between 1400 and 1650.
B. Orphanage: the building with late Gothic building elements at no. 16 is the Orphanage from 1638. It was built from the remains of the Plague House, which was located on an island in the Middle Ages to keep infectious disease at a safe distance.
C. Waag: on the Middendam you can see the 17th-century Waag with the dam sluice and the 18th-century sluice-keeper's house on the other side. The lower area of the Weigh House used to be open; that's where the huge scales hung.
D. Hemmeland: the recreational area Hemmeland is a peninsula in the Gouwzee. Hemlands are pieces of land located outside the dikes, which regularly flooded during storms. In the 1970s, the open land was converted into a recreational area. On some wet spots orchids bloom in summer.
E. 't Braakje: the water 't Braakje to the right of the dike, is an ancient remnant of an earlier flood. In the past, Monnickendam was hit by a flood several times. The last major flood took place in 1916. To keep the water out, many front doors were made watertight with pepper rope.
F. Polder Verdeek: on the opposite side you can see the polder Verdeek. The grasslands are leased to farmers, who take into account the meadow birds that nest here every year. The water level is kept artificially high with the help of a pumping station. This benefits many marsh plants and animals. In the reedbeds the great reed warbler chirps and along the water's edge the gadwall, shoveler and greylag goose breed.
G. Ooster Ae: the residential area Ooster Ae was built in the 1970s. Many houses contain elements derived from the traditional shapes of cheese-cover farmhouses and warehouses.
H. Fortress moat: the fortress moat follows the outline of the medieval town centre. The city walls with city gates and bastions have completely disappeared over time. Only the wall around the Jewish cemetery still contains stone from the fortification wall.

Important information:

• For this route, follow the posts with the blue markings/arrows. Check the specific route description on the website of Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland.
• Between nodes 80 and 81, the route is partially off-limits to dogs from March to November. The rest of the year you are allowed to walk your dog here.
• This is a route of the Twiske-Waterland recreation board.

Tip: Do you encounter a defect along the way? Then report it very easily in the Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland app or via www.meldpuntroutes.nl.