Zaandam is a city in the Dutch province of North Holland. The city consists of two parallel dykes on both sides of the historic waterway De Zaan. The Sculpture “The Wood Worker” illustrates the past of Zaandam as a major port for wood. In the Golden Age the region where Zaandam is situated was an industrial mill area, with many windmills that sawed wood for the paper industry and shipbuilding. In addition, the region is known for history in whaling.
Zaandam is known for the Zaanse Schans, a small neighborhood in the city, located on the eastern shore of De Zaan. It is a museum village where typical green Zaandam wooden houses and a number of mills from the region have been rebuilt.