Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Noordzee

The Wimmenummerduinen (Dunes of Wimmenum) are located between the coastal villages of Egmond aan Zee and Bergen aan Zee. The inhabitants of Egmond aan Zee - so called “derpers” (villagers) - still call the dune area Duinen van Six . In 1679, Jan Six - a regent and writer descended from a wealthy family - bought the area around the village of Wimmenum. Six belonged to the in-crowd of Amsterdam and is friends with Rembrandt van Rijn. A portrait the painter painted of him is world-famous today. The dune area was the family's fenced-off hunting domain until it was sold to the of provincial water supply company of the province of North Holland (PWN) in 1992.This company has opened the site to visitors. The Wimmenummerduinen are characterized by an open dune landscape with several dune lakes, wet valleys and drifting dune tops. Large pieces of dune have been blown away here and there in the foredune (main picture). Horses graze the dunes here to keep the landscape open. It is considered one of the most beautiful stretches of untouched dunes in the province of North Holland. During our 2024 visit, we were surprised by the large number of dune valleys filled with water. As far as I understand, this is caused by the high groundwater level due to the heavy rainfall in the preceding months.

The Wimmenummerduinen (Dunes of Wimmenum) are located between the coastal villages of Egmond aan Zee and Bergen aan Zee. The inhabitants of Egmond aan Zee - so called “derpers” (villagers) - still call the dune area Duinen van Six . In 1679, Jan Six - a regent and writer descended from a wealthy family - bought the area around the village of Wimmenum. Six belonged to the in-crowd of Amsterdam and is friends with Rembrandt van Rijn. A portrait the painter painted of him is world-famous today. The dune area was the family's fenced-off hunting domain until it was sold to the of provincial water supply company of the province of North Holland (PWN) in 1992.This company has opened the site to visitors. The Wimmenummerduinen are characterized by an open dune landscape with several dune lakes, wet valleys and drifting dune tops. Large pieces of dune have been blown away here and there in the foredune (main picture). Horses graze the dunes here to keep the landscape open. It is considered one of the most beautiful stretches of untouched dune in the province of North Holland. Immediately north of Egmond aan Zee are the so-called duinlandjes (dune lands) - a kind of allotment gardens. These originated around the year 1850, when villagers started growing potatoes in dune valleys. In the past, these fields also existed around other fishing villages, but nowadays they only can be found in Egmond. (PiP5).

The Noordhollands Duinreservaat (North Holland Dune Reserve) is with its 5.300 hectare one of the largest natural areas in the Netherland. This reserve is managed by PWN (Water Supply Company North Holland) is used for drinking water production at three locations. The Buizerdvlak lies north of Bergen aan Zee and is known for the impressive drifting dune that dominates the landscape. It is fascinating to see how the drifting sand slowly 'walks' to the east (between 3 and 5 meters per year) and covers all shrubs and conifers in the way under a layer of sand. (PiP3 shows the dune almost nine years ago; it is clear to see how much the dune has moved)

De Vuurduin is the landmark of the island of Vlieland. This lighthouse - also called the Rode Kabouter (Red Gnome) - is a monument. It is only 16.8 metres high, but thanks to its location on the 42-metre-high Vuurboetsduin , the light from the tower shines 55 metres above sea level. The lights and the glass are stationary; a sort of curtain rotates to screen the light every two seconds. The cast-iron red tower was originally the superstructure of a tower from IJmuiden and was transferred to Vlieland in 1909. In 1929, an observation post on stilts was built next to the lighthouse. In 1986, the dome of the lighthouse was completely renovated. De Vuurduin works completely automatically. The lighthouse keeper is still regularly present for visitors. The stairs to the panoramic roof have 49 steps; the lamp is 9 steps higher. From the lighthouse one has a unique view over two seas: the Wadden Sea and the North Sea.

Vlieland is one of the Dutch Waddeneilanden (West Frisian Islands). The (car-free) island is known for its beautiful beaches. The wide beach on the North Sea is one of the most beautiful and cleanest in the Netherlands. On the west side of the beach (at the end of the Reddingbootpad ), there is a 'nursery' of new dunes (PiP5). The beach of Vlieland is about 15 kilometres long and 150 metres wide on average. It has only two beach pavilions (PiP4).

Strand Noordpier (Noordpier beach) is located directly north of the Noordzeekanaal (North Sea Canal) and south of Wijk aan Zee. The beach is one of the widest in the Netherlands. The Noordpier - built to prevent the harbour from silting up and to offer ships a safe passage to the North Sea Canal - causes a special wind and waves, making the beach a popular spot for wave, wind and kite surfing. Officially, the pier and the beach are located in Velsen-Noord, but can only be reached via Wijk aan Zee. That is why many people call it the pier of Wijk aan Zee. The beach may be beautiful and wide, but what struck me during a visit on a freezing winter's day was the horizon pollution caused by the Tata Steel factory and some wind turbines. This makes it for me also one of the ugliest beaches in the Netherlands.

There are still fifteen active lighthouses along the Dutch coast. The vuurtoren J.C.J. van Speijk (J.C.J. van Speijk lighthouse) in Egmond is one of the oldest active lighthouses. The treacherous sea near Egmond necessitated the construction of two lighthouses: a northern and a southern tower. Work started in 1833 and one year later the construction was completed, lightkeepers were appointed and the light was lit. In IJmuiden - to the south of Egmond - also two lighthouses were built in 1876, after the construction of the North Sea Canal. In order to distinguish between the lighthouses of Egmond and IJmuiden, the lighthouses of Egmond were provided with red windows, which meant that the light emitted had a red colour. In 1834 the northern tower at Egmond aan Zee was chosen as the J.C.J. van Speijkmonument , in honour of Lieutenant Commander “Jan Carel Josephus van Speijk”, who was a gunboat commander at the time of the Belgian uprising. Van Speijk achieved eternal fame by sacrificing himself and blowing up his boat to prevent it from falling into enemy hands during the Belgian uprising. In addition to Van Speijk, twenty-five other crew members were killed. The lighthouse was equipped with a rotating light in 1891. The light in the southern tower was deactivated in the same year and finally demolished in 1915. To warn ships of dangerous shallows on the northern side of Egmond, the northern side of the light is red. The light turns white again when the ships are out of the danger zone. The vuurtoren J.C.J. van Speijk is a national monument and still shines its light over Egmond aan Zee and the North Sea every evening. It is built of brick and subsequently plastered in white. The tower has a height of 28 meters; the focal height is 37 meters. The range of the white light is 18 nautical miles and for the red one 14 nautical miles.

The village of Petten has been existing since 1300 and was originally called Petten bi der Sipe . During a storm in 1625 no less than a hundred houses were destroyed. The village disappeared completely into the sea in 1792. From the 18th century onwards, Petten was gradually relocated. Petten's past and the struggle against the sea is emphasized by the Palendorp (Pole Village). This monument and work of art was placed in 2016. The 160 poles - six and twelve meters high - form the silhouette of a former church and ten houses. It was a gift of the contractors who carried out the project Kust op Kracht .

In the Middle Ages were dunes on the spot of the Hondsbossche and Pettemer Zeewering . Large storms such as the All Saints' Flood in 1570 swept away these dunes and the North Sea was only stopped by dikes. The impressive sea dike, protecting the villages of Petten and Camperduin, was designated in 2002 as one of the eight weak points of the Dutch coast. It was decided not to further raise the existing dike, but to opt for a solution with 'sand': Kust op Kracht (Coast on Strength). March 2014 the project started to create a beach and dune area on the seaside of the dike, stretching over eight kilometers between Petten and Camperduin and 300 meters wide. Approximately 35 million cubic meters of sand was used for this new piece of land of about 400 soccer fields. The newly created dune area was given the name Hondsbossche Duinen . This approach resulted in a new recreation area and artificial dune landscape with a wide beach, cycling and walking paths, but also a new area for birds with a wet dune valley lake. Near Petten is a panorama dune (26 meters high) - www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/48526386 - where one has a beautiful view over this new part of the Netherlands.

About 15.000 years ago the Netherlands and the UK were connected by a land mass. The arctic ice stretched out into Germany and Scotland. When temperatures started to rise, the ice receded and the meltwater caused the rise of the sea levels. The residents of the low-lying regions started to move to higher locations. About 1.000 years ago people started to build dikes to protect their land against the sea. Nowadays nearly half of the Netherlands lies below sea level and is protected by 14.000 kilometers of dikes. One of the most impressive dikes in the Netherlands is the Hondsbossche en Pettemer Zeewering . The name of this sea wall appears in records for the first time around 1350. The first dike was made entirely of sand. In 1873 the Hondsbossche en Pettemer Zeewering became the dike as it stands today with heavy basalt blocks on the sea-facing side. On 1 February 1953 the Netherlands was hit by a devastating flooding. Large parts of the western provinces of the country were flooded and more than 1.800 people drowned during these floods. The Dutch government decided the so called ‘Deltaplan’, to create coastal reinforcements. Due to this plan the Hondsbossche en Pettemer Zeewering was raised till a height of 11,5 meters above NAP (Amsterdam Ordnance Datum). The climate is changing and sea levels are still rising. That means that several weak spots in the Dutch coastline had/have to be reinforced again. Hondsbossche en Pettemer Zeewering was one of these weak links. The authorities decided to use a new method for the reinforcement: Zand tegen Zee (Sand versus Sea). The dike itself was not raised, but instead March 2014 started the project to create a beach and dune area in front of the dike, stretching over eight kilometers between Petten and Camperduin and 250 meters wide. Approximately 35 million cubic meters of sand was used for this new piece of land of about 400 soccer fields. This approach resulted in a new recreation area with a new beach, cycling and walking paths, but also a new area for birds with a dune lake (PiP 3). The main picture and PiP 2 were taken from a newly created panorama dune (PiP 1) with a height of 26 meters near Petten.

The ‘Noordhollands Duinreservaat’ (North Holland Dune Reserve) is with its 5.300 hectare one of the largest natural areas in the Netherland. This reserve is managed by PWN (Water Supply Company North Holland) is used for drinking water production at three locations. The ‘Duinreservaat’ stretches from Bergen aan Zee till Wijk aan Zee. It offers dunes, some of them with white sand (main picture and PiP1), large pine and oak forests (PiP2) and in the summer blooming heather (PiP3). The area is open to the public (walker and cyclist), however an admission ticket is needed.

Wooden breakwater at the beach of Schoorl, nearby “De Kerf’, a man made opening through the first row of dunes. Breakwaters are constructed to absorb the energy of the waves, intended to prevent the erosion of sand along the coast. Usually they stand perpendicular to the dunes. These breakwaters are very rare along the coast of North Holland, so I was quite lucky to find one. (In Zealand and Zeelandic Flanders they are quite common.)

White topped dunes in the ‘Noordhollands Duinreservaat’ (North-Holland Dune Reserve). This reserve is controlled by the provincial water company and stretches from Bergen aan Zee till the North Sea Canal, nearby Wijk aan Zee. The area is open to the public (walker and cyclist), however an admission ticket is needed. The photo is taken along the Verspijckweg (a bike lane through the dunes) just north of the village of Bergen aan Zee. PiP the same area with blooming heather in August.

The beach of Noordwijk was lit already in 1444, when after sunset a big fire was set to show the fisher boats the way to the coast. The first (wooden) lighthouse was built in the 19th century. The present lighthouse dates from 1921. The remarkable white plastered tower - originally built out of red brick - has a height of 25,5 metres, which means the light itself is 33 metres above sea level. The tower has six flowers and 108 stair steps to the top. It is an unmanned lighthouse.

White sand of the dunes and blooming heather in the ‘Noordhollands Duinreservaat’ (North-Holland Dune Reserve). This reserve is controlled by the provincial water company and stretches from Bergen aan Zee till the North Sea Canal nearby Wijk aan Zee. The area is open to the public (walker and cyclist), however an admission ticket is needed. The photo is taken along the Verspijckweg (a bike lane through the dunes) just north of the village of Bergen aan Zee.

Wooden breakwater at the beach of Nieuwvliet-Bad, nearby beach pavilion De Boekanier. This kind of breakwaters is quite common along the coast of Zealand and Zeelandic Flanders. They are constructed to absorb the energy of the waves, intended to prevent the erosion of sand along the coast. Usually they stand perpendicular to the dunes. In Zealand they are already used for hundreds of years.