Katwijk aan Zee (literally, ''Katwijk-upon-Sea'') is a
seaside resort
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germ ...
located on the North Sea at the mouth of the Oude Rijn. It is situated in the municipality of
Katwijk
Katwijk (), also spelled Katwyk, is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands.
The Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and into the North Se ...
The name "Katwijk" probably has its origins in the name of a Germanic tribe called the
Chatten
The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe
whose homeland was near the upper Weser (''Visurgis''). They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in the valle ...
(Chatti). The Dutch word "''wijk''" means "area", so the name probably meant something like "the Chatti area".
In Roman times, Katwijk was a place of strategic importance. It was located at the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
's northern border, at the mouth of the Rhine river, which in Roman times was larger in this area than it is today. There was a good deal of traffic along the Rhine. Katwijk was also a jumping-off point for the voyage to Britain. Built during the reign of
Emperor Claudius
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Mino ...
(41–54), the town's name was ''
Lugudunum
Lugdunum (also spelled Lugudunum, ; modern Lyon, France) was an important Roman city in Gaul, established on the current site of Lyon. The Roman city was founded in 43 BC by Lucius Munatius Plancus, but continued an existing Gallic settle ...
''. The town's name was later associated with the name of the city of Leiden, but this is now thought to be incorrect.
After the Romans left the settlement was abandoned and the area largely depopulated, except for small, isolated groups of Frisians ekeing out a living along the changing coast. The area was Christianised by British and Irish missionaries around the 9th century.
Starting around the 12th century the population began to grow. In 1231, the first reference to ''Catwijck'' appeared in the records. At this time Katwijk aan Zee was little more than a few wooden houses.
A reference to a fish market on the beach appeared in the records around 150 years later. In 1388, the fish market was moved from
Katwijk aan den Rijn
Katwijk aan den Rijn (Katwijk on the Rhine) is a town in the municipality of Katwijk in the province of South Holland, in The Netherlands, with approximately 6020 inhabitants. Katwijk aan den Rijn lies between Katwijk aan Zee, Valkenburg and Rij ...
to Katwijk aan Zee. Katwijk aan Zee and Katwijk aan den Rijn were part of the same heerlijkheid called "Beide de Katwijken en 't Zand" (or something similar). They have been administratively joined for centuries.
In 1520 a Roman ruin known as '' Brittenburg'' emerged from the shifting sands on the beach just south of the mouth of the Oude Rijn, much to everyone's astonishment. It became the subject of a number of prints and paintings. It was square in shape, each side measuring 75 m, and the ruins stood about 3 m high. Eventually it disappeared back under the shifting sands. Attempts have been made to find it again, but to no avail.
From the 17th Century until today
The differences with neighbouring communities and the non-migratory nature of members of the old Katwijk families, Katwijk aan Zee continued its existence as a quiet, close-knit North Sea fishing village from the 16th century.
Although fishing is not a major activity in the village today and many of the inhabitants are nowadays secular, the old traditions still survive in many ways. Most of the inhabitants are still very traditional, whether they are member of a Calvinist church or not.
Katwijk aan Zee had its own unique dialect, called 'Katwijks' or 'Strand-Hollands' ('Kattuks' in dialect). This dialect is still spoken by a considerable number of people, therefore being one of the few active dialects of
Hollandic
Hollandic or Hollandish ( ) is the most widely spoken dialect of the Dutch language. Hollandic is among the Central Dutch dialects. Other important language varieties of spoken Low Franconian languages are Brabantian, Flemish ( East Flemish, ...
still in active use. Yet, fewer youngsters learn to speak the dialect actively.
Over the course of time the mouth of the Oude Rijn silted up. However, a
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
s was constructed at the mouth of the river in 1807 by engineer F. W. Conrad (d. 1808). After this the Old Rhine (here called the ''Uitwateringskanaal'') did not flow naturally into the sea, but was held back by a lock. When necessary, the lock can be opened to allow the river to flow out to sea. The shore and the entrance to the canal were also strengthened by
dikes
Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to:
General uses
* Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian"
* Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment
* Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice
* Dikes ...
During World War II, most of the buildings of Katwijk aan Zee were demolished by the Germans to make way for the Atlantic Wall. In the dunes south of Katwijk, many bunkers from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
can still be found.
Since the 20th century, Katwijk aan Zee is a popular seaside resorts and the village grew explosively. In 1980–1990, Katwijk aan den Rijn and Hoornes-Rijnsoever became incorporated. Recently, in 2006, the neighbouring communities Valkenburg and Rijnsburg were added, which made a larger municipality called 'Katwijk'.
The artist colony Katwijk School
The first known picture was from the famous Haalem painter Jacob van Ruisdael, its title is ''The view of the tower of Katwijk''. This proves, since the time of the Dutch Golden Age was Katwijk subject of landscape painting.
In the period from 1870 to 1914 existed at Katwijk an artist's colony — the Katwijk School. It is part of the international movement of the
impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
and belongs to the
Hague School
The Hague School is a group of artists who lived and worked in The Hague between 1860 and 1890. Their work was heavily influenced by the realist painters of the French Barbizon school. The painters of the Hague school generally made use of relati ...
.
Thereform the ''Katwijks Museum'' has arisen. It has a permanent exhibition of the former life of Katwijk aan Zee and annually changing art exhibitions - the themes are the time of the impressionism and the artists who had worked at Katwijk aan Zee. There are such famous artists like David Adolphe Constant Artz,
Bernard Blommers
Bernardus Johannes (Bernard) Blommers (30 January 1845 in The Hague – 12 December 1914 in The Hague) was a Dutch etcher and painter of the Hague School.Eugéne Dücker,
Thomas Bush Hardy
Thomas Bush Hardy (1842, Sheffield – 1897, Maida Vale, London) was a British marine painter and watercolourist.
Biography
Hardy was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire on 3 May 1842. As a young man he travelled in the Netherlands and Italy.
In 1 ...
,
Jozef Israëls
Jozef Israëls (27 January 1824 – 12 August 1911) was a Dutch painter. He was a leading member of the group of landscape painters referred to as the Hague School and, during his lifetime, "the most respected Dutch artist of the second half o ...
Max Liebermann
Max Liebermann (20 July 1847 – 8 February 1935) was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the leading proponents of Impressionism in Germany and continental Europe. In addition to his activity as an artist, he also assembled an important ...
, Jan Toorop and Jan Hillebrand Wijsmuller.He was painter of different subjects of painting and belonged to the Amsterdam Impressionism and the Hague School of the 2nd generation.
Other facts
Katwijk aan Zee is the landing place for a large number of international and intercontinental
Transatlantic telephone cable
A transatlantic telecommunications cable is a submarine communications cable connecting one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, each cable was a single wire. After mid-century, coaxial cable came into use ...
s such as the
TAT-14
TAT-14 was the 14th consortium transatlantic telecommunications cable system. In operation from 2001 to 2020, it used wavelength division multiplexing. The cable system was built from multiple pairs of fibres—one fibre in each pair was used fo ...
.
Katwijk aan Zee is the home town of Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt, a retired professional football player who has played for FC Utrecht,
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club (association football), football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names bef ...
,
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands national football team ( nl, Nederlands voetbalelftal or simply ''Het Nederlands elftal'') has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal ...
. He started and ended his senior career with local team
Quick Boys
Quick Boys is an amateur football club from Katwijk aan Zee, Netherlands. The club, established on February 1, 1920, is the second most successful amateur football club in the Netherlands, behind IJsselmeervogels.
The club joined the footbal ...
, playing for them in 1998 and 2018.
Notes
Biography
* M. Vooijs, Ds. J. Blom en G.D. van Kruistum: ''Vissen in de oude kerk is een uitgave van de Nederlandse Hervormde Gemeente te Katwijk aan Zee'', .
* Balen-Chavannes, A.E. van (1972): ''Bibliographie van de Geschiedenis van Zuid-Holland tot 1966'', Publisher Culturele Raad van Zuid-Holland, Delft.
* Hucht, J. van der (1969): ''Bibliographie en iconographie van beide Katwijken en't Zand'', Publisher Katwijk, Katwijk.
* John Silveris, J. P. van Brakel, R. Siebelhoff: ''Katwijk in de Schilderkunst.'' Museum Katwijk, 1995, .
*
Norma Broude
Norma Broude (born 1 May 1941) is an American art historian and scholar of feminism and 19th-century French and Italian painting. She is also a Professor Emerita of art history from American University. Broude, with Mary Garrard, is an early lead ...
: ''Impressionismus – eine Internationale Bewegung 1860–1920.'' Dumond Buchverlag, Köln 1990, .
* John Sillevis, Hans Kraan, Roland Dorn: ''Die Haager Schule, Meisterwerke der Holländischen Malerei des 19. Jahrhunderts aus Haags Gemeentemuseum.'' Ausst.-Katalog. Kunsthalle Mannheim, Edition Braus, 1987, .
* Frouke van Dijke, Maartje van den Heuvel, Dik van der Meulen, Michiel Purmer: ''Holland op z'n mooist – op pad met de Haagse School.'' Ausstellungskatalog des Gemeentemuseums und Dordrechtmuseums. Uitgeverij WBooks, 2015, .
* Sheila D. Muller: ''Dutch Art. An Encyclopedia.'' Routledge Verlag, London 1997, .
* Walther Bernt: ''Die Niederländischen Maler und Zeichner des 17. Jahrhunderts.'' Bruckmann Verlag, München 1979, (Gesamtausgabe).
* E. W. Petrejus: ''De bomschuit : een verdwenen scheepstype.'' (= Museum voor Land- en Volkerkunde en het Maritiern Museum "Prins Hendrik". Nr. 2). Rotterdam 1954, .
* Kees Stal: ''De storm van 1894, de ramp die Scheveningen een nieuw gezicht gaf.'' Museum Scheveningen, 1994, .
Photographs
Image:Katwijk vuurtoren.jpg, The lighthouse Vuurbaak van Katwijk aan Zee.
Image:Katwijk wittekerk.jpg, The White Church (de Witte kerk / Andreaskerk) at Katwijk aan Zee.
Image:Katwijk.jpg, Katwijk aan Zee.
File:House Katwijk aan Zee.jpeg, "Galerie de Klijnhaalder"
File:Katwijks Museum 3 dec 2013.JPG, ''Katwijks Museum''
File:Overzicht westtoren met topkoepeltje - Katwijk aan Zee - 20365594 - RCE.jpg, ''The new church of Katwijk.''