Volendam - North Hollland When the Edammers dug a new, more direct connection to the Zuiderzee in the 14th century, they no longer needed their old harbour mouth. So they closed it, filling up the dam—hence ‘Volendam’. A community of farmers and fishermen settled on and around the dam. It was a place for pioneers and fortune seekers, people who built their houses any which way, creating a maze of streets. Even in contemporary parlance, the centre of Volendam is still called ‘the Labyrinth’ and if you don’t know your way around, you can get seriously lost.