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History Noordwijk

How Noordwijk developed into the floral seaside resort

Throughout the years, Noordwijk has changed from a fishing village into a dazzling seaside resort with an international air. Noordwijk’s history goes back to about 2000 years before Christ and was written in various ways during its almost four thousand year old history, amongst which was Northeke.

Located in the famous Bulb region, people in Noordwijk-Binnen mostly found work within the bulb cultivation. In the 18th century, Noordwijk developed into the most important herb centre of the Netherlands. The herbs were traded mainly in Amsterdam and used for medicinal purposes. In the 19th century, the bulb cultivation replaced the herb cultivation. The region has a perfect climate and dune soil for bulb cultivation. High-profile bulb exhibitions put Noordwijk on the map nationally and internationally. Today, the bulb area in Noordwijk encompasses about 311 hectare. Most bulb fields are directly behind the dunes, because the sand soil is extremely suitable for cultivation.

While the so-called Binders occupied themselves with herb and later bulb cultivation, the Sea-ers supported themselves through fishing. Even these days, the idea of being a ‘Binder’ or ‘Sea-er’ lives strongly amongst the (older) population.  

In the 19th and 20th century, Noordwijk developed from a fishing village into a luxurious seaside resort. At the end of 1800, the foundation stone for the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin was laid down. For the town housing, they developed 2 esplanades and a lot of accommodations for tourists. Meanwhile, Noordwijk has grown into one of the three most important seaside resorts in the Netherlands and over 700.000 tourists come to visit each year.