City, created during the damming of the Gouw water. That dam, with possibly a sluice in it, lay at the site of the current Red Stone in the Westfriese Omringdijk. This dyke followed the route of the current Great East and continued via the West in a straight line to Schardam. In 1375 the dike section between Hoorn and Scharwoude was put back by laying a new one behind this dike, which eventually took over the flood defense, after which the Hoornse Hop was created. At the beginning of the 14th century the settlement at the dam was mentioned for the first time. In 1357 Hoorn received city rights from count Willem V.
The presumably first church dedicated to St. Cyriacus was established in 1323 (burned down in 1328) and was rebuilt in 1369 on Kerkstraat. Several monasteries were founded, including the Catharin Monastery (1400), the Cecilia Monastery (1400), the Geertenklooster (1404) and the Mariaklooster (1408). The construction of the Noorderkerk began in 1426. Around that time Hoorn received its first fortifications in the form of a probable earthen wall that stretched from the Westersingel via the Veemarkt and the Turfhaven to the Slapershaven on the east side.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the herring trade flourished in Hoorn. Traditionally, the outer-dike part of the Gouw reached the dam via a bend and the water arranged behind it as a harbor ('slusekolc'). This water of the dikes of the Gouw - where in 1341 the Nieuwendam had already been erected on the south side - was further transformed around 1420 into a port (on the spot current Appelhaven). At the same time, the Gouw was partially subdued inside the dyke (Kerkstraat); the rest followed in 1561 and 1584. For the larger ships, a mooring place was built in 1464 with jetty, the 'Houten Hoofd'. Because of the raising of the Baatland, the Binnenhaven (also called Old Goals) was built around 1500. In the adjoining 15th-century port, islands were closed (Venidse, Oude Doelenkade), after which the port remains became Appelhaven.
From 1507, the fortifications were improved and explained somewhat more to the north (Nieuwland) along the Baanstraat and Achter de Vest. The Gelders-Friese gang of Grote Pier could partly be kept outside the ramparts in 1518. The improvement was completed with the construction of the Hoofdtoren (1532). In 1572 Hoorn arrived in the Dutch camp, followed by plans from Adriaen Anthonisz in 1576-'78 to the east. The Kleine Oost and the Karperkuil came to lie within the city. To the south of the Karperkuil, a harbor was constructed in 1608 for the yards of the V.O.C. (Binnenluiendijk). Shortly after 1650, the Grashaven (or Admiralty Harbor) and the Buitenhaven, with in between the Oostereiland, developed further south. Meanwhile, Hoorn had its heyday as a seaside city and as a country town it got a much more modest role as a regional center with cattle and cheese markets. The old harbors were closed in 1777 by a lock at the main gate of the sea.
In the 18th century, little was built and in 1797 demolished the old town hall, which probably stood on the Red Stone since 1420. This was followed by the demolition of more buildings, including four of the five city gates: Oude Oosterpoort (1818), Noorderpoort (1850), Koepoort (1871) and Westerpoort (1872). The Turfhaven (1878-'79) and the Waaitje (1878, current Veemarkt) were filled up. In the harbor quarter the Binnenluiendijk was partly filled in (1888), but in 1912 it was extended back to Vluchthaven. In 1857, a gas factory was set up (demolished in 1989) and schools were added to Nieuwstraat (1876) and Muntstraat (1882). The railway connections with Zaandam (1884), Enkhuizen (1885), Medemblik (1887) and Alkmaar (1898) ensured economic delivery. In addition, from 1863 to 1922, Hoorn was a garrison city.
The first expansions outside the fortress were only established after 1900. The 1908 expansion plan (Hasselt and De Koning) led to a bridge over the Oosterpoortgracht at the Pakhuisstraat to the expansion towards the Wilhelminaplantsoen. This expansion took its present form through the expansion plan from 1932-'33 (W. Bruin). That plan also provided for an expansion to the north of the railway line (Hoorn Noord). Following the designation of Hoorn as a growth nucleus (1966), the city was extended on the west side (Grote Waal), to the north Risdam-Zuid and -Noord, from 1970) and on the east side (Hoorn-Kersenboogerd, from 1981). The recent expansion is in the northeast (Bangert-Oosterpolder, from 2004).
In the city center the synagogue was demolished in 1953. The Grashaven has been set up as a marina (1969) and a shopping center has been built at the Blauwe Steen (Nieuwstraat, 1976). Urban renewal took place, among other things, at the Visserseiland (originally Westereiland), the Italian Zeedijk (1978-'82), the Oude Doelenkade (1978) and recently at the Karperkuil. Recently the new theater (1999-2004, T. Alberts and M. van Huut) has also been added. The inner city of Hoorn is a protected cityscape. The (Herv.) Noorderkerk
