1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Monnikendam

MONNIKENDAM, a fishing village of Holland, in the province of North Holland, on an inlet of the Zuider Zee known as the Gouw Zee, 12 m. N.N.E. of Amsterdam, with which it is connected by steam tramway. It was once a flourishing town, but its quietness now is only disturbed by the advent of the numerous tourists who visit it in the summer, crossing hence to the island of Marken. Among the notable buildings are the weigh-house (17th century), the bell-tower (1591), formerly attached to the town-hall before this was destroyed in the 18th century, and the church of St. Nicholas, with its beautiful massive tower. Mention is made of this church in a document of 1356, but it was not completed until the beginning of the 15th century. It contains some fine carvings, many interesting old tombs, and a monument of Jan Nieuwenhuizen, the founder of the Society for Public Welfare (Tot Nut van het Algemeen) in 1785.