The cheese market in Hoorn

Face to face with history every Tuesday

At times, it might seem a little funny; briskly stepping men in their impeccably white suits and their straw hats with colourful ribbons, carrying wooden racks filled with cheeses between them. Yet this scene is part of an age-old choreography, with each step having a meaning all its own. The stacking, the judging, the weighing: it all plays a role. All these actions and their meanings are extensively acted out during the weekly cheese market in Hoorn. 

Colourful history

The summer cheese market in Hoorn is a special event for both domestic and foreign visitors. Not only does the viewer get a glimpse into the glorious cheese history of Hoorn, the colourful history of the West-Friesland region is also highlighted through folk dancing in authentic nineteenth-century costumes. 

Discover the Golden Age in Hoorn

The history of the city of Hoorn begins in the late Middle Ages, when the settlement near the former Zuiderzee – today's Markermeer – flourished. In the time of the famous United East India Company, Hoorn grew into one of the richest cities in the Netherlands. Numerous monuments are reminders of this 'Golden Age'.

Lively terraces

The cheese market is centrally located in the old town, on a square with the illustrious name 'Roode Steen', named after the executions that took place there hundreds of years ago. Nowadays cheese is the only thing that rolls on this square and the locals come together here mainly to enjoy the sun and the historical beauty of the area on one of the many terraces.