Purmerend is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The mid-sized city is famous for having a traditional cow market (in Dutch "Koemarkt"). It was granted city rights in 1410, and had at one time a castle called Slot Purmersteyn. From the 1960s onwards, Purmerend has seen major expansions. These expansions added new suburbs, providing homes for people working in Amsterdam. This expansion continues to the present date. Public transportation is mainly focused on Amsterdam, with several bus services and a train service via Zaandam.