Alkmaar’s Timeless Charm: 1915 Cheese Market in Lush Color!

This captivating colorized footage unveils the historic city of Alkmaar, North Holland, Netherlands, in 1915—over a century ago—offering a vibrant glimpse into its pre-war charm and iconic traditions. Filmed as a silent documentary in vivid hues, the film captures Alkmaar’s stunning gabled houses, the world-famous cheese market on Waagplein (established in 1365), serene waterways like the Noordhollandsch Kanaal, and the surrounding countryside, including windmills and pastoral landscapes. With a population of about 25,000 in 1915, the footage showcases horse-drawn carts, locals in traditional attire, and the lively atmosphere of the cheese market, where traders weigh and trade Edam and Gouda cheeses, set against the backdrop of Alkmaar’s medieval architecture and canals. A dazzling window into Alkmaar’s golden age before World War I, this restored archive grips history buffs, Dutch heritage enthusiasts, and food lovers, offering a vivid glimpse of the city frozen in time.