Editing Schagen (section)

==History==
===10th–15th centuries===
Schagen has been mentioned in various texts from around 975. One was a population count that found that 43 people lived there. Schagen was also mentioned in documents as Scagha from around 989. At this time Schagen was a center of [[artificial dwelling hill]]s. The name may refer to Scagha to its location above land water: it could mean "elevated point". Some time later, there was a coastline near Schagen. When the sea retreated again at the end of the 13th century the places in the region grew. The land around Schagen was especially fertile, so it grew and remained the main town in the area.

In 1415, [[William VI of Holland|William VI]] granted [[city rights]] to the town. In 1427, [[Philip the Good]] of Burgundy loaned Schagen to his uncle [[William of Bronckhorst]], one of the seven illegitimate children of [[Albert I, Duke of Bavaria|Albrecht of Bavaria]], and [[Maria van Bronckhorst]]. Schagen became a [[fief]] with some regional rights in addition to its city rights, including some control over the small towns around Schagen. William ordered the castle in which he lived from 1440. In 1460, the church of Schagen, dedicated to [[St. Christopher]], was consecrated. In 1463 Schagen received the right to hold a cattle market and it became a trading town for a wider region.

===16th–19th centuries===
From 1603, an annual horse market was held in Schagen, upon authorization by the States of Holland and Westfriesland.

At the beginning of the [[Golden Age]] Schagen underwent very little growth, unlike other cities in the region: [[Alkmaar]], [[Enkhuizen]], [[Medemblik]], and [[Hoorn]]. Later in the Golden Age the city benefited from the increased prosperity, but never to the degree these other cities enjoyed. Even after the Golden Age growth was limited. Partly due to the reclamation of the surrounding area, Schagen could flourish economically again in the 19th century. In particular, the cattle market played an important role. When in 1865 the railroad between Alkmaar and [[Den Helder]] came into use, the market and home industries flourished. Schagen had about 2060 inhabitants at this time.

In 1894, Schagen was shocked by a double murder, when 17-year-old Klaas Boes murdered his 55-year-old neighbor and her 17-year-old niece.<ref name=f750/><ref name=ontknoping/> The murder attracted wide national media attention and caused the murderer's mother to commit suicide.<ref name=moord/> Newly appointed mayor [[Simon Berman]] headed a committee that offered 750 guilders reward, donated by the residents, for information.<ref name=f750/><ref name=ontknoping/><ref name=moord/><ref name=dubbele/><ref name=utrechts/><ref name=hulde/> In 1895, Boes was sentenced to [[life imprisonment]], later changed to 25 years. He was released from prison in 1922 and died in 1956. For years, "Klaas Boes" was used in the Netherlands for youngsters who were up to no good.

===20th–21st centuries===
During the 20th century, prosperity decreased slowly. Especially after the [[Second World War]] there was a sharp decline in the agricultural sector. As Schagen did not only depend on agriculture, the decline was less than in surrounding rural communities. Around 1960 Schagen started to flourish again, though population was still below 5,000. The seventies saw a large boom for Schagen. In the early nineties, growth gradually diminished but Schagen remained relatively strong compared to neighboring municipalities.
[[File:ArkVanJohan.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|The [[Johan's Ark|Ark van Johan]] interpretation of [[Noah's Ark]] in the town of Schagen.]]
From 2005 to 2007, Schagen resident Johan Huibers built a ship modeled after the biblical description of [[Noah's Ark]] in Schagen. [[Johan's Ark]] was opened to the public in April 2007 and later towed between various port cities in the Netherlands.