Volendam used to be the harbour of Edam but in 1357 the locals dug a shorter canal to the sea making the old harbour
obsolete.
They then built a dam and filled in the area, creating a new living place for farmers and fishermen called Volledam,
meaning filled in dam. Over the next centuries Volendam carved out a living as a sea fishing village.
In 1932 the Afsluitdijk cut off
the fish from the North Sea, causing a collapse of the fishing industry all along the Zuiderzee.
The remaining fishers switched
from herring to Eel, which earned Volendam the nickname Palingdorp, meaning Eal Village.
On New Year's Eve 2000 a fire in a cafe
killed 14 and maimed dozens more.
Volendam is known for the Paling Sound, created and played by many local bands like The Cats. This may explain the unusual high cocaine and xtc residues found in the village sewage waters.
Today Volendam's main income comes
from the tourist industry and we joined the crowd in August 2018.