Enkhuizen, situated on the IJsselmeer and traversed by numerous canals, ranks as one of the prettiest towns in the Netherlands. Its trade with the Baltic countries, and later its herring fisheries, enabled it to develop into a flourishing and prosperous port town with a population of some 40,000; but decline set in when most
of the merchants moved to Amsterdam, and the final blow came with the destruction of its herring fishing fleet of 400 vessels in 1625 and the silting up of its harbor. Nowadays the economy of the town depends mainly on tourism, paper making, metal processing, fishing and bulb growing. Enkhuizen was the birthplace of the painter Paulus Potter (1625-54), whose life-size "Bull" can be seen in the Mauritshuis in The Hague.
Enkhuizen was the administrative center of Friesland until 1289, when western Friesland became part of the County of Holland. Count Floris V granted the town its municipal charter in 1355, and thereafter it began to flourish. The town walls were built around 1550 and strengthened in the early 17th century. Enkhuizen was one of the first towns to revolt against Spanish rule in 1572. Its ships, along with those of Hoorn, Edam and Monnickendam, took part in the naval battle in October 1573 in which a Spanish fleet commanded by Admiral Bossu was defeated. The population fell sharply after an outbreak of plague in 1636. With the construction of the Afsluitdijk, Enkhuizen's importance as a port was reduced, and as a result the town's economy has increasingly come to depend on agriculture and horticulture.
Tourism is an important aspect of the economy due to the inner portion of the town still intact including two 15th century churches and the 17th century city walls, gates and tower. There is also an open-air museum that reflects life throughout history.
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