Schiedam was founded in 1230 when the local river the “Schie”, had a dam built on it to protect the existing polders from the North Sea. The dam brought much trade to the area, due to goods being brought to, or transported from the area, to other Dutch towns. The village quickly grew and in 1275 the village received city rights.

Large parts of Schiedam were destroyed by fire in the year 1428, due to most of the buildings being made of wood. But the city was rebuilt and again, flourished. During the 1700’s the production of jenever (gin) started. Soon there were many distilleries in Schiedam. From dozens of distilleries the jenever was traded to many parts of the world and brought great wealth to the city. The gin industry gave the city its nickname 'Black Nazareth'.

Schiedam is known for its historical center with picturesque canals, lined with former warehouses, distilleries and the tallest windmills in the world.