What can you see in the historic city centre of Schiedam?

The old centre of Schiedam lies around three harbours, the Lange Haven, the Korte Haven and the Nieuwe Haven2. Along the water stand former malt wine distilleries, warehouses and monuments such as the Korenbeurs and the Zakkendragershuisje. On the Grote Markt you find the Town Hall, next to it the Grote of Sint-Janskerk, and on the edge the tall windmills.

View over the Lange Haven in Schiedam with canal houses, parked cars and trees in autumn colours.
Photo: Prolete, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

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In short, in a few hours you walk past harbours, church, town hall and windmills, all within walking distance.

How did the centre of Schiedam come about?

Around 1230, according to S'DAM, a certain Lord Bokel built a dam in the Schie, near the present Oude Sluis1. A settlement grew up around that dam, and in 1275 Schiedam was granted city rights by Aleid of Holland12. Around 1260 she also had the castle Huis te Riviere built, on the site of the present Stadserf; what remains of the castle is the ruin of its tower1.

The great boom came in the eighteenth century, driven by jenever218. Many of the warehouses, distilleries and windmills you see today date from that time.

Wide canal of the Lange Haven with a rigged sailing ship, stepped gables on the right and a drawbridge in the distance, under a clear blue sky.
Photo: GraphyArchy, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What is there to see on the Lange Haven?

You walk most of the route along the Lange Haven, and you pass these places.

  1. The Korenbeurs at Lange Haven 145, built in 1787 under the direction of the Italian architect Jan Giudici. Since 2015 it has housed the library9.
  2. The Nationaal Jenevermuseum at Lange Haven 74, in a former malt wine distillery16.
  3. The Appelmarktbrug, one of the three cast-iron drawbridges from around 1860. When a boat comes, two bridge keepers raise the bridge by hand11.
  4. A former distillery at number 56, now the chocolate shop De Bonte Koe, with a gable stone from 172413.

The finest view of the harbours is from the water. From 10 April to 31 October 2027 a whisper boat sails from Museummolen De Walvisch15.

What is the Zakkendragershuisje?

The Zakkendragershuisje at Oude Sluis 19 was the guild house of the sack carriers, the men who carried grain and other cargo off the ships10. The building dates from 1725 and has a weather vane in the shape of a sack carrier and a small bell tower10. When a ship approached, the bell rang and the carriers ran to work. Today's guild consists of eight volunteers, who regularly open the little house and re-enact the life of the eighteenth-century dock worker10.

What is special about Schiedam Town Hall?

The Town Hall on the Grote Markt was rebuilt in a rich Renaissance style after a fire in 16043. The stepped entrance platform was added in 1717 and 1718, and in 1925 the council chamber was enlarged to the full width of the building and furnished in a mix of Art Deco and historicist Dutch style3. The building is a national monument and is now used for weddings, meetings and receptions34. According to Brasserie Stadhuis, the brasserie is in the old town hall, next to the wedding venue in the regents' hall4.

Can you visit the Grote of Sint-Janskerk?

Not as an individual visitor in winter. The church at Lange Kerkstraat 37 is closed to visitors during the winter period, but open for concerts and other events in its programme5. Groups can arrange a visit on weekdays all year round5.

The church calls itself the oldest building in Schiedam and celebrated its 600th anniversary in 20255. S'DAM dates the construction of the three-aisled hall church to around 1335 and mentions a 54-metre tower from the fifteenth century6. Inside is a pulpit from around 1550, according to S'DAM probably the oldest in the Netherlands, and the tower holds a carillon with 38 bells6. During the restoration of 1945 to 1947 the grave of Liduina was found, the town's patron saint, who lived from 1380 to 14335.

Who was Liduina?

Liduina, also called Lidwina, is the patron saint of Schiedam and of the sick and of skaters12. After a fall on the ice in 1396 or 1397 she became bedridden, and from her sickbed she comforted the poor and the sick12. Her relics lie in the neo-Gothic Liduinabasiliek, built between 1878 and 1881 and according to S'DAM the only basilica in South Holland12.

Which walking route can you take through the old city centre?

There is no fixed official route, but S'DAM has a few written routes, such as a monuments walk, a literary walk and a route past old jenever advertisements14. You can pick up a map of the centre at the I-Punt in the Waag8. This is a suggested order, not a measured route.

  1. Start at the I-Punt in the Waag at Lange Kerkstraat 39, right against the Grote Kerk. The town has had weighing rights since 13397.
  2. Walk to the Grote of Sint-Janskerk and the Grote Markt with the Town Hall35.
  3. Go along the Hoogstraat and through the Locomotiefsteeg to the Lange Haven17.
  4. Follow the Lange Haven past the Jenever Museum, the Appelmarktbrug and the Korenbeurs91116.
  5. Cut across to the Oude Sluis and the Zakkendragershuisje10.
  6. Finish at the windmills on the Noordvest, with De Noord, De Vrijheid and De Palmboom; more about them on the page about the windmills of Schiedam.

Mind the opening hours of the I-Punt. From 26 October 2026 to 1 April 2027 it is closed on Mondays, and shorter hours apply around Christmas8.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Grote of Sint-Janskerk in Schiedam open?

During the winter period the Grote of Sint-Janskerk is closed to individual visitors. You can get in for concerts and events, such as Kerstzang bij Kaarslicht on 13 December 2026. Groups arrange a visit on weekdays all year round through the church itself. The address is Lange Kerkstraat 37.

Where can you get tourist information in Schiedam?

You get tourist information at the I-Punt S'DAM in the Waag, Lange Kerkstraat 39, next to the Grote Kerk. There you can pick up a map, tickets for the whisper boat and tours. From Tuesday to Saturday it is open from 11.00 to 17.00, on Sundays until 16.00. From 26 October 2026 to 1 April 2027 it is closed on Mondays.

How long does a walk through the centre of Schiedam take?

No measured duration has been published for a loop of the whole centre. The windmill walk of Stichting De Schiedamse Molens, past windmills and related buildings, takes one to one and a half hours according to the foundation. Allow extra time for museums, a café terrace or the whisper boat. The route on this page is a suggestion, not an official route.

Sources

  1. S'DAM, Aleide van Avesnes, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/aleide-van-avesnes
  2. Wikipedia, Schiedam (secondary), accessed 12-11-2026: nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schiedam
  3. S'DAM, Town Hall, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/town-hall
  4. Brasserie Stadhuis, Over Brasserie Stadhuis, accessed 12-11-2026: www.brasseriestadhuis.nl
  5. Stichting Grote- of Sint Janskerk Schiedam, Home, accessed 12-11-2026: groteofsintjanskerkschiedam.nl
  6. S'DAM, Grote of Sint Janskerk, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/grote-of-sint-janskerk-st-johns-church
  7. S'DAM, De Waag, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/de-waag
  8. S'DAM, I-Punt S'DAM, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/zien-doen/c/i-punt-sdam
  9. S'DAM, Korenbeurs, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/korenbeurs
  10. S'DAM, Zakkendragershuis, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/zakkendragershuis
  11. S'DAM, Appelmarktbrug, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/appelmarktbrug
  12. S'DAM, Lidwina, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/lidwina
  13. S'DAM, Former distillery, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/former-distillery
  14. S'DAM, Kunst en cultuur in Schiedam, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/kunst-cultuur
  15. S'DAM Uitagenda, Rondvaarten fluisterboot 2027, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uitagenda/event/rondvaarten-fluisterboot-door-historisch-schiedam-2027
  16. Nationaal Jenevermuseum Schiedam, Home, accessed 12-11-2026: jenevermuseum.nl
  17. S'DAM, Locomotiefsteeg, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/uk/see-and-do/information/locomotiefsteeg
  18. S'DAM, Jenever in Schiedam, Dutch Distillers District, accessed 12-11-2026: www.sdam.nl/jenever-schiedam-dutch-distillers-district
  19. Stichting De Schiedamse Molens, Wandeling langs Schiedams molenerfgoed, accessed 12-11-2026: www.deschiedamsemolens.nl/wandeling-langs-schiedams-molenerfgoed

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