Zaanstad approves plan to charge €17.50 entry fee to historic Zaanse Schans

The municipal council of Zaanstad voted Thursday evening to approve a controversial proposal that will require tourists to pay 17.50 euros to access the Zaanse Schans starting in the peak season of next year. The decision follows weeks of resistance from local entrepreneurs and sparked fierce political debate, including a failed motion of no confidence and a walkout by two political parties.

A majority in the council backed the plan submitted by the college of mayor and aldermen, which intends to use the revenue to fund the long-term maintenance and management of the iconic heritage site. “We want tourists to pay for preserving the Zaanse Schans,” Alderman Wessel Breunesse stated during the council meeting.

The entrance fee will serve as the “starting point for developing a multi-year financial strategy and sustainable operation in which expenditures and revenues in the area are balanced,” Breunesse said. He emphasized that more decisions would follow in the council to evaluate the college’s execution of this financial plan.

The fee has met strong opposition from local business owners who depend on the steady flow of tourists to maintain their livelihoods. When the 17.50 euros fee was first announced, entrepreneurs said the plan could severely damage their businesses and proposed alternatives to prevent the measure. One local business representative previously called the fee a “death blow.”

Despite the opposition, the council moved forward. Several amendments were adopted to address concerns, including explicit guarantees that no physical fence will be built around the Zaanse Schans and that residents of Zaanstad, known as Zaankanters, will retain free access. GroenLinks councilor Natascha Stroo expressed relief over the amendment, saying, “I hope this brings an end to ‘fence-gate.’” The college welcomed the amendments. Breunesse said they would lead to the necessary “finetuning” of the policy.

Earlier that evening, the council rejected a request for a public referendum on the decision to charge an entrance fee. The rejection triggered an intense debate, culminating in a motion of no confidence against Breunesse, filed by Jos Kerkhoven of Democratisch Zaanstad. The motion was decisively defeated.

Following the vote, members of Democratisch Zaanstad and DENK walked out of the council chamber. “If we had stayed, we would have legitimized an undemocratic process,” Kerkhoven said.