Village, originated in the 14th century on the inside of the Westfriese Omringdijk, which makes a sharp turn here ('horn' means angle).
The Hoogsloot culminated here in the Zuiderzee and this made Kolhorn from the end of the 16th century to a port of Schagen. In the 18th century, fishing (whose anchovies) and transhipment of peat were the main sources of existence. In 1788 the village burned down. A sea lock in the Hoogsloot was completed in 1844. Since the reclamation of the Value and Growth polder (1844-'47), fishing has played a smaller role. In 1936 and in 1941, the channels leading to the Kolhorner canal were completed from Schagen and Alkmaar. After the war the protected face Kolhorn on the west side has been expanded somewhat.
