Former island with a predominantly elongated structure. The Frisian Norbertine convent Mariëngaarde near Hallum (Fr) acquired possession of the area in 1235, built a cemetery and ensured the construction of dikes and the development of agriculture and livestock farming. In 1282 Marken came to the count of Holland.
Count William IV had the monastery destroyed around 1345. By the advance of the Zuiderzee, the area became an island. The inner dike grounds served as hay meadows, while in the 14th and 15th centuries the buildings concentrated on artificially raised mounds, which are called yards in Marken. The wooden buildings on these yards are grouped in neighborhoods. The 'Monnikenwerf' (now Kerkbuurt) is mentioned for the first time in 1470, at a time when fishing in Marken became important. Most of the yards originate from before 1700. As extensions in the 18th and 19th century, on the slopes of the yards houses on poles or a brick substructure came into being. Dyke breaches and storm surges, including those in 1825, 1877 and 1916, ensured further landfall. Of the original thirty-two yards there are now nine built-up and three vacant yards. On the initiative of King William I, the Arc Canal was constructed in 1825 across the island as a sailing connection from the Zuiderzee via Waterland to Amsterdam (Goudriaankanaal). The project failed soon and the speed was largely filled (Oostervaart, Zuidervaart). In 1837, a rectangular harbor was built on the west side of the island.
With the construction of the Afsluitdijk (1932), the importance of fishing for Marken disappeared. However, the first development outside the yards became possible and this was done at the Kets. After the Second World War small neighborhoods were built north of the port and on the northeast side of the island. On 17 October 1957 the connecting dyke of Marken was closed with the mainland. On the north side of Marken stretches a piece of a dam that was meant for the - ultimately not - polder Markerwaard. Because of the traditional costumes, the Protestant Marken attracted interest from painters from around 1875, after which the island, in combination with Volendam, developed into an international tourist attraction. The whole island is a protected face.
