Castricum

Castricum (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkɑstrikʏm] ) is a municipality and a town in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands.

Castricum
Street in Castricum
Street in Castricum
Flag of Castricum
Coat of arms of Castricum
Highlighted position of Castricum in a municipal map of North Holland
Location in North Holland
Coordinates: 52°33′N 4°40′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceNorth Holland
Government
  BodyMunicipal council
  MayorToon Mans (VVD)
Area
  Total60.40 km2 (23.32 sq mi)
  Land49.68 km2 (19.18 sq mi)
  Water10.72 km2 (4.14 sq mi)
Elevation0 m (0 ft)
Population
 (January 2021)[4]
  Total36,086
  Density726/km2 (1,880/sq mi)
DemonymCastricummer
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
1489, 1900–1906, 1920–1921
Area code0251
Websitewww.castricum.nl
Dutch Topographic map of Castricum, June 2015

Castricum is a seaside town in the province of North Holland. It draws in a fair share of tourists who mainly come to visit the beach and nearby dune landscape. In Castricum's vicinity there is also the lake of Alkmaar-Uitgeest which offers various sailing and windsurfing opportunities.

History

On 6 October 1799, a Franco-Dutch army under Guillaume Brune defeated an Anglo-Russian army under Ralph Abercromby and the Duke of York in the Battle of Castricum.

The municipalities of Akersloot and Limmen merged into the municipality of Castricum on 1 January 2002.

Population centres

The municipality of Castricum is made up of the following towns, villages and/or districts: Castricum, Akersloot, Bakkum, De Woude, Limmen.

Transportation

The town is served by Castricum railway station. From here there are 4 trains an hour to Amsterdam, with a journey time of 28 minutes.

Local government

The municipal council of Castricum consists of 25 seats, which are divided as follows:

  • VVD - 5 seats
  • Castricum Kernen Gezond (CKenG) - 3 seats
  • GDB Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine -2 seats
  • PvdA - 1 seat
  • CDA - 4 seats
  • Green party- 3 seats
  • D66 - 2 seats
  • De Vrije Lijst - 2 seats
  • Forza - 1 seat
  • lijst Kooter - 1 seat
  • lijst van Schoonhoven - 1 seat


At the moment, the college van burgemeester en wethouders (the municipal board) is formed by the VVD, CDA and de Vrije Lijst.

Castricum aan Zee

Aerial view of Castricum aan Zee

Castricum aan Zee is the seaside resort of Castricum. It is located on the North Sea coast at 52.5563°N 4.6077°E / 52.5563; 4.6077. It used to be called Bakkum aan Zee, and mainly consists of holiday homes, camping sites and the occasional house. Duincamping Bakkum is the oldest camp site of the Netherlands. The dune area used to be owned by Sophie, Princess of Albania. In 1906, a group of nature lovers asked permission to camp. The princess granted permission, and it developed into a permanent camp site.[5]

In 1942, construction started of the Atlantic Wall to defend against an Allied invasion. As part of the wall Stützpunkt Castricum was built, and 104 bunkers were constructed in the dunes. Many have been demolished, but some are still hidden under the sand. In 2020, a previously unknown bunker was discovered buried in the sand.[6]

Notable people

Wim Schermerhorn, 1946

Sport

See also

References

  1. "Burgemeester Toon Mans" [Mayor Toon Mans] (in Dutch). Gemeente Castricum. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. "Postcodetool for 1902CA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  5. "Bakkum aan Zee". Plaatsengids (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  6. "Onbekende bunker uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog ontdekt". Castricummer (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  7. Nico Keuning (1986). "Tirade. Year 30. #301-307". Digital Library for Dutch Literature (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 July 2020.
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