Egmond aan Zee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The town centre (darkgreen) and the statistical district (lightgreen) of Egmond aan Zee in the municipality of Bergen (NH.).

Egmond aan Zee (52°37′N 4°37′E) is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bergen, and lies about 9 km west of Alkmaar. Until 2001, Egmond aan Zee was part of the municipality of Egmond.

This most well-known of the three villages of Egmond is situated by the sea. Settlers in this area have battled the sea since the first settlements. In the past, parts of the village regularly disappeared into the sea. Apart from being dangerous, the sea also gave the people of Egmond food and work, as most inhabitants of Egmond were fishermen. Quite a few sights in Egmond remind one of this; for instance, the "fishershouses", which are tiny houses near the sea where fishermen used to live. Another sight is a fishers monument and the "Prins Hendrik Stichting", a stately building named after a Dutch prince that used to house retired fishermen. The Egmond museum paints a picture of what living in Egmond used to be like.

The Lighthouse

Egmond aan Zee has been a popular seaside resort since the beginning of the 20th century, when it was well known for its healthy and clear sea air. Children came over to stay in one of the many "koloniehuizen", which were sanatorium-like institutions often run by charities and churches. The centre of attention in Egmond is certainly the lighthouse, "Jan van Speijk", built in 1834 and named after a famous Dutch sea captain.