Alkmaar

Alkmaar grew on an old sandbank that rose above the surrounding lowlands, giving its earliest inhabitants some protection from flooding. Granted town rights in 1254, it became a centre for the countryside of polders and waterways around it. Its weighing house and cheese market speak to a long tradition of trade in the produce of the region.

During the Dutch Revolt, Spanish troops under Don Fadrique besieged Alkmaar in 1573. The defenders appealed to the Prince of Orange, who arranged for the surrounding land to be flooded. As the waters rose, the Spanish lifted the siege, giving the revolt a celebrated victory. In 1799 an Anglo-Russian expedition occupied the town, but after defeat at Castricum its withdrawal was arranged at the Convention of Alkmaar. The North Holland Canal opened through Alkmaar in 1824.