The three best-known mills in the Schermer Mill Complex stand in Schermerhorn. Together with 49 other mills, they drained the Schermer. The village also has historic buildings and routes for exploring Schermerhorn and the Schermer Polder on foot, by bike or on the water.
Church, courthouse and village history
The Grote Kerk Schermerhorn was built as a Gothic basilica between 1634 and 1636. The church still houses eleven unique windows that are among the UNESCO Top 10. Two models of warships also hang there: the model from 1663 has 64 cannons, while the smaller model has 68. Comparing the two cannon counts is a small detail that offers a discovery of its own when looking at the models.
’t Regthuysje was rebuilt in 1766. Originally, it served as a courthouse from which justice was administered for the entire region. The building thus connects a specific place in the village with its former regional function. Het Kleinste Huisje offers a different perspective on the past: it explores what life and living in the village were like around 1900.
If you would like to see the church from more than the outside, you can plan a tower tour. It leads up 133 steps to a balustrade 33 metres high, with views east towards the IJsselmeer and west towards the North Sea. The tower tour is included in the 2026 visitor schedule. Check the dates and whether booking is required before your trip.
Experience the mills and understand their function
The Museummolen Schermerhorn is open daily from 1 April to 1 November. Visitors can walk through the mill and see its centuries-old mechanism inside. A film explains how the mill works and how the land was drained; visitors can also learn what life was like for a miller’s family in a mill. The different offerings provide an opportunity to consider technology, landscape history and everyday life not just as separate topics.
Poldermolen O is also part of the area’s mill history. It has stood as a polder mill in Section O near Schermerhorn since 1635. The three best-known mills in the Schermer Mill Complex, along with the 49 others that drained the Schermer together, give a sense of the scale of this undertaking.
Het Kleinste Huisje also offers educational boat trips through the Eilandspolder, run by volunteers. As dates and booking arrangements should be checked again before your trip, it is advisable to confirm the details in advance if you plan to take a trip.
On foot, by bike and on the water
Schermerhorn lies in an open polder landscape defined by dikes, waterways and far-reaching views. A short walking route through the Eilandspolder is 17 kilometres long. A cycling route in the Schermerhorn area also follows the numbered junction network past all 15 mills in the Schermer. The two options differ mainly in their focus: a walk through the Eilandspolder or a cycling route connecting the mills of the Schermer landscape.
TOP Schermermolens has parking; from there, you can explore the surrounding area by bike, on foot or by boat. The Haring- en Hennep fietsroute starts at TOP Schermermolens, Noordervaart 2, 1636 VL Schermerhorn. For those interested in the routes through the Schermer and the polder, this offers concrete ways to explore the landscape in different ways, alongside its historic buildings.
Nearby, in De Rijp, the VVV at the historic town hall at Kleine Dam 1 provides background information, routes and tips for exploring the Schermer Polder and its mill landscape. It is an additional place to go with questions about the region, while the Museummolen, the Grote Kerk and the village’s history shape a visit to Schermerhorn itself.
Discover more destinations: Alkmaar, Stompetoren, Driehuizen, Oudorp, Koedijk.
Go to the main travel overview: Alkmaar.
