Zandvoort () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is one of the major

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal

dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

s of

Zuid-Kennemerland National Park Zuid-Kennemerland National Park ( Dutch: ''Nationaal Park Zuid-Kennemerland'') is a conservation area on the west coast of the province of North Holland. It was established in 1995. History Dutch conservationist Jac. P. Thijsse first wrote ...

and the Amsterdam water supply dunes. It hosts the country's most prominent

motor racing Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

circuit, Circuit Zandvoort. The municipality of extends to take in Bentveld; it had a population of 16,954 in 2017. A

nudist Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

bathing section of the beach begins about 2 km to the south, with six eateries, which extends kilometers further.

History

Zandvoort, vuurtoren foto2 2011-06-12 11

Zandvoort is known to exist in 1100, called ''Sandevoerde'' (a combination of "sand" and "''voorde''", meaning

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

; compare English '' Sandford''). Until 1722 the area was under the control of the Lords of Brederode. The village was dependent on fishing for many centuries until the 19th century when it started to transform itself into a seaside resort, following the pattern set by similar towns in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In 1828 the first resort was inaugurated. Thereafter many notable persons would visit Zandvoort, including

Elisabeth of Bavaria Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria (24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I on 24 April 1854 until her assassination in 1898. Elisabeth was ...

in 1884 and 1885. In the middle of the same century, potato cultivation started in the dunes. In 1881 the railway station near the coast opened, followed by

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

connection to Haarlem in 1899, which greatly increased the beach tourism. In 1905 one of the earliest Dutch fictional films was shot in the town, '' De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort''. During

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 opposin ...

, Zandvoort was heavily damaged. On May 23, 1942, beach access was no longer permitted and several months later the town was almost completely vacated. Resorts and avenues were demolished to make way for the coastal fortifications of the

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...

. After the war, the town's growth accelerated, matching the growth in tourism. In 1948, Circuit Zandvoort was built, hosting the

Dutch Grand Prix The Dutch Grand Prix ( nl, Grote Prijs van Nederland) is a Formula One motor racing event held at Circuit Zandvoort, North Holland, the Netherlands, from 1950 to 1985 and from 2021 onwards. It was a part of the World Championship from 1952, ...

for several decades, until 1985. The Dutch GP returned in 2021, in the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Zandvoort continues to be a major Dutch resort location, where nearly half of all employment is related to tourism. The Dutch singer

Willem Duyn Wilhelmus Jacobus Duyn (31 March 1937 – 4 December 2004) was a Dutch singer, actor, entertainer and voice over artist. Under the stage name Big Mouth he was co-vocalist of the Dutch pop music duos Mouth & MacNeal (1971–1974) and Big Mouth & ...

's ''De Eerste Trein Naar Zandvoort'' ("First train to Zandvoort"), modeled on the American song

Chattanooga Choo Choo "Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren. It was originally recorded as a big band/swing tune by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie '' Sun Valley Serenade''. It was ...

and chronicling chaos and mayhem on the first seaside train, was a hit in the summer of 1983.

Transport

Zandvoort has a station, with half-hourly services to

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, with extra services from Haarlem during the summer. The station is Zandvoort aan Zee railway station.

Local government

The

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

of Zandvoort consists of 17 seats, which are divided as follows since 2022:

Notable people

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later would become Parsons School of Design. ...

(1849–1916) American Impressionist Painter painted his masterpiece entitled " Sunlight and Shadow" in Zandvoort. It hangs in the

Joslyn Art Museum The Joslyn Art Museum is the principal fine arts museum in the state of Nebraska, United States. Located in Omaha, it was opened in 1931 at the initiative of Sarah H. Joslyn in memory of her husband, businessman George A. Joslyn. It is the only m ...

in Omaha, Nebraska. *

Lovis Corinth Lovis Corinth (21 July 1858 – 17 July 1925) was a German artist and writer whose mature work as a painter and printmaker realized a synthesis of impressionism and expressionism. Corinth studied in Paris and Munich, joined the Berlin Se ...

(1858–1925) German artist and writer, painter and printmaker died of pneumonia in Zandvoort having made a final visit to see his favourite

Dutch masters Dutch Golden Age painting is the painting of the Dutch Golden Age, a period in Dutch history roughly spanning the 17th century, during and after the later part of the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648) for Dutch independence. The new Dutch Republ ...

Bep Schrieke Bertram 'Bep' Johannes Otto Schrieke (18 September 1890, Zandvoort, Netherlands – 12 September 1945, London, England) was a Dutch politician and academic. He served, alongside Frederik David Holleman, as professor of ethnology and history ...

(1890–1945) politician and academic *

Lou Bandy Lodewijk Ferdinand Dieben (19 April 1890, in The Hague – 24 June 1959, in Zandvoort), better known under his pseudonym Lou Bandy, was a Dutch singer and conferencier who was one of the most popular artists in the Netherlands, between both worl ...

(1890–1959) Dutch singer and conferencier *

Anne Frank Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...

(1929–1945) Jewish diarist and victim of the Holocaust, and her family used to regularly visit Zandvoort in the summer. * Shirley Zwerus, stage name Shirley (born 1946) singer and pianist * Hans Willem Blom (born 1947) Professor of Social and Political Philosophy at

Erasmus University Erasmus University Rotterdam (abbreviated as ''EUR'', nl, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam ) is a public research university located in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The university is named after Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, a 15th-century humanist ...

* Stella Maessen (born 1953) singer, participated in the Eurovision Song Contests of 1970, 1977 and 1982 * A 2.5 m (8 ft) tall

Lego Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...

figure was found in the sea at Zandvoort on 7 August 2007. It was fished out and placed on the beach. It was wearing a blue shirt with the slogan "''No Real Than You Are''" and red trousers. Its origins are unknown.

Sport

* Elisabeth Koning (1917–1975) sprinter, competed in the women's 100 metres at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

* Bep Ipenburg (born 1936) former artistic gymnast, competed at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Bert Jacobs Bert Jacobs (March 5, 1941 – November 14, 1999) was a Dutch football manager, who played for HFC Haarlem. Jacobs was a football trainer at a young age, worked for Roda JC, FC Utrecht, Fortuna Sittard, Vitesse Arnhem, RKC Waalwijk and Sportin ...

(1941-1999) football manager and played for HFC Haarlem *

Roy Schuiten Roy Schuiten (16 December 1950 – 19 September 2006) was a Dutch track and road racing cyclist. After retirement he became a team manager before starting a restaurant. Background Schuiten was a tall (), stylish rider who shone as an amateu ...

(1950–2006) track and road racing cyclist *

Loes Schutte Louise Henriëtte Maria "Loes" Schutte (born 12 June 1953) is a retired Dutch rower. Her teams finished fourth at the 1975 World Championships and eights at the 1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Co ...

(born 1953) retired rower, participated in

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

Jan Lammers Jan Lammers (Johannes Antonius Lammers, Zandvoort, 2 June 1956) is a racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing h ...

(b.1956), former racing driver (Formula One) *

Piet Keur Pieter "Piet" Keur (born 20 December 1960 in Zandvoort, North Holland) is a retired football striker from the Netherlands, who was a prolific goalscorer in the 1980s and early 1990s. He's currently striker-coach at AZ. He played for HFC Haa ...

(b.1960), former football player * Harriet van Ettekoven (born 1961) former international rower, won the bronze medal in the Women's Eights at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

Danny van Dongen Danny van Dongen (born 1983) is a Dutch racing driver and entrepreneur currently competing in the MW-V6 Pickup Series. Racing career Van Dongen started his racing career in the Dutch Citroën Saxo Cup. He scored a third-place finish in the cham ...

(born 1983) racing driver and entrepreneur *

Leroy Kaestner Leroy "Bamm Bamm" Kaestner (born September 28, 1988) is a Dutch welterweight kickboxer fighting out of Bullys gym Arnhem for Team Aerts/Afafa. He is the K-1 World MAX 2009 Europe Tournament champion currently competing in K-1 MAX. Career and ...

(born 1988) welterweight kickboxer File:William Merritt Chase.jpg, William Merritt Chase File:Stella-maessen-1316253204.jpg, Stella Maessen

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Seaside resorts in the Netherlands