A visit to the Zaanse Schans windmill collection, currently one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country, will cost visitors €17.50 per person from next year, if the local council’s executive board has its way.

In 2024 the Zaanse Schans attracted 2.6 million visitors, and the Dutch tourism board expects a rise in visitor numbers to the region in the coming years.

“The Zaanse Schans was never envisaged to be the public draw it is now,” and has become a “national symbol for over-tourism,” council official Wessel Breunesse told the Parool.

“This heritage site is under considerable pressure and there is no budget for investing in it,” he said. “We want to realise this without asking the Zaanse taxpayer to cough up.”

There is, officials say, urgent need for investment in maintenance, safety and public spaces, and “doing nothing is not an option”.

Locals would continue to have free access, and the museum card and other discount systems would still apply.

The full council will vote on the issue at a later date. If it votes for the introduction of tickets, officials say visitor numbers would fall to some 1.8 million visitors a year.

This would leave the council with some €31.5 million to spend on protecting the 20 windmills and other heritage buildings that make up the complex.