Editing Purmerend (section)

===19th century===
From 1819 till 1824 the [[Noordhollandsch Kanaal]] was constructed. It was dug along existing waterways like the Oude Vaart, which connected Purmerend to the [[IJ (Amsterdam)|IJ]] opposite Amsterdam, and along canals that connected Purmerend to Alkmaar. On 20 July 1821 the large {{lang|nl|Schutsluis Purmerend}} (Purmerend Lock) was completed just west of the city center.{{sfn|Rigter|1924|p=109}}

The Noordhollandsch Kanaal brought increased prosperity to Purmerend. In 1840 the company Brantjes en Comp, trading in wood, was founded. The Firma Dirk Bakker also started to import wood. Meanwhile, Firma Pont from Edam diverted her imports over Purmerend via the {{lang|nl|Where}} river. Ships from Norway, Sweden, Russia and America then started to make direct trips to Purmerend to bring wood. Sometimes 12 of these were present at the same time.{{sfn|Rigter|1924|p=110}}

The increased commerce and shipping led to the creation of an industry that catered for ships. In turn Purmerend merchants started to equip [[whaler]]s. In 1866 the establishment of a tow service with 7 tugboats by Gebroeders Goedkoop was one of the last highlights of this period. By about 1880 this boom period for Purmerend was ending, because the new [[North Sea Canal]] diverted traffic elsewhere.{{sfn|Rigter|1924|p=111}}