Marken is a former island. Marken is located on the Markermeer and the Gouwzee. On the island there are several small hamlets that together form Marken.
The island of Marken has been inhabited since the 13th century. In this time the island was owned by the Frisian monastery Mariëngaarde, which built dikes here and a drainage system. They also ensured that agriculture and livestock farming became possible here. About a century later, the monks were expelled here by Count William the Fourth of Holland. After this, the island quickly ran dry and the islanders were obliged to live on mounds to protect themselves against the water. These mounds are known here as yards, some of these yards are still inhabited. The many floods made agriculture impossible, making fishing the most important income source of the island. This ended with the arrival of the Afsluitdijk.
Until the arrival of the dam, Marken was a village and an island in the Zuiderzee. In 1957 a dike was built between Marken and the mainland, which caused it to lose its status as an island. The Marken peninsula is nowadays a popular tourist destination within the municipality of waterland. Almost the entire peninsula has a protected cityscape and there are several national monuments. The most famous building on Marken is the lighthouse known as the Paard van Marken. The lighthouse has become superfluous since the arrival of the dam and is now used as a residence. The ferry service between Marken and Volendam is very popular with tourists.