The Zaanstreek/Zaan area is possibly the oldest industrial area in the world. It flourished in the 17th century, when there where about a 1,000 wind mills processing food products and wood. That pre-steam development was made possible by technological improvements of the windmills (like the patenting of crankshaft applications in 1592) and the need for the produce of the mills for neighbouring Amsterdam.
Large quantities of wood and rope where needed for the big wooden merchant ships that were built in de Zaanstreek to provide the Amsterdam merchants (early capitalists) with the means to plunder the Dutch colonies (Indonesia, the Caribbean). Also paper industry flourished, and it is believed that the Declaration of Indepence (USA) is written on paper from the Zaan area. Also, many food products that were imported, where processed with the windmills in the Zaanstreek, like cocoa, rice and wheat. Chocolat, bread, cooking rice, roasted coffee, vegetable oil, pastry, animal food, etc. where produced in large quantities, providing for much of the Dutch population.
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