History beach resort Zandvoort at sea

History

How Zandvoort has developed in a famous beach resort Zandvoort is a former fishing village, initially known as “Sandevoerde”. ‘Sande’ means dunes or sand. ‘Voerde’ or ‘Voorde’ was the name for a shallow crossing.
Zandvoort therefore means a shallow crossing in the sand. Since 1100, the village lay sheltered behind the dunes. Part of the village centre is still situated here. The French rule (late 18th, early 19th century) was disastrous for Zandvoort.



The French occupying forces did not allow the fishers to set out to sea because of the war with England. As a result, the majority of the Zandvoort population became unemployed. However, the sea was not the only source of food. The dune soil proved to be fertile ground for growing potatoes.

In the 19th century, Zandvoort was swept by a veritable potato mania. The dune potatoes became famous in the Netherlands and abroad. The potato disease was unable to affect the Zandvoort potatoes.

In the 19th century tourism started to flourish. The Badhuis (Bathhouse) was built in 1828. Suddenly, Zandvoort was easy to reach by means of a brick-paved road, the Zandvoortse Laan. Hotels, shops and luxury villas sprung up. And a railway connection was completed in 1881. That brought distinguished visitors to Zandvoort, among whom Empress Sissi of Austria.

After World War II, building activities consisted mainly of residential housing and holiday flats. In 1948 the famous Zandvoort Racetrack, uniquely situated in the dunes has been officially opened. The car- and motor races brought a lot of foreign visitors to Zandvoort. Nowadays tourism is the main source of income in the town.