The Westfries Museum occupies a superb 17th-century building that was originally the council house of West Friesland, built in 1632 at the height of Hoorn's prosperity. The collection covers the history of West Friesland from prehistoric times but is strongest on the Golden Age period, with an excellent collection of portraits, silverwork, ceramics, and everyday objects from the era of Dutch global dominance.
The museum has been recently renovated and is well presented, with English-language information for the main collection items. The building itself is perhaps the main attraction: the council chamber with its painted ceiling and original furniture gives a vivid sense of how the self-confident Dutch merchant oligarchs of the 17th century lived and governed.