History of Noordwijk: from place of pilgrimage and fishing village to flower seaside resort

Noordwijk has always consisted of two worlds: the Catholic farming and herb village of Noordwijk-Binnen and the Protestant fishing village of Noordwijk aan Zee.

In short: a medieval place of pilgrimage grew up around the grave of Saint Jeroen, while a fishing village with bomschuiten arose by the sea.
Two villages: the differences between Zeeërs and Binders live on to this day, and the old name Northgo shows how old the place is.
Bulbs and bathers: after the herbs came the flower bulbs of the Bollenstreek, and from 1866 Noordwijk became the Flower Seaside Resort of Europe.
Discover it yourself: the Old Jeroens Church, Museum Noordwijk, the lighthouse and the Atlantikwall Museum lie along the historic cycle route, perfect for cycling.

Saint Jeroen and the place of pilgrimage

The oldest traces of settlement in Noordwijk-Binnen date from around 2000 BC, but written history begins with a Scottish monk.

Priest Jeroen (847): in 847 the Scottish Benedictine Jeroen came to Noordwijk, where he built a chapel and did missionary work.
Beheaded by Vikings (856): in 856 Jeroen was captured and tortured by plundering Norsemen, and on 17 August 856 he was beheaded.
A pilgrim church: around 980 a Romanesque chapel was built in Jeroen's honour, replaced in 1303 by a large stone church, the predecessor of today's Old Jeroens Church.
Place of pilgrimage (1429): in 1429 the Bishop of Utrecht officially made Noordwijk a place of pilgrimage; the most important relic was a skull attributed to Saint Jeroen.
Fire and Reformation: in 1450 a great fire destroyed Noordwijk-Binnen and the church; the Reformation in the 16th century ended the pilgrimages, and the skull has been missing ever since.
Two Jeroens churches: the old church became Protestant, and at the end of the 19th century the Catholics built a new Sint-Jeroenskerk, where bones of the saint are still kept in an altar.

From Northgo to Noordwijk

The name Noordwijk has come a long way, and the village very nearly became a town.

Nortgo (889): Noordwijk is first mentioned on 4 August 889, when Count Gerolf was granted Nortgo, the district north of the Rhine.
Many names: sound changes turned it into Nortege, Norteke, Nortic and Nortdijc, until between 1459 and 1541 the name became Noordwijk, following the example of neighbouring Katwijk.
Briefly a town (1398): on 1 April 1398 Count Albert of Bavaria granted Noordwijk town rights at the request of some residents, but on 12 March 1399 he withdrew them.
No walls: as a result Noordwijk never got town walls or gates and remained a manor, governed by a sheriff and aldermen.

Bomschuit fishermen and the lighthouse

From around 1200 fishermen lived by the sea, sailing out from the beach for centuries in their flat bottomed bomschuiten.

Fires in the dunes (1444): from 1444 fires were lit on the site of today's lighthouse, so fishermen could find their beach after sunset.
A sizeable fleet (1474): in 1474 Noordwijk had 38 ships, catching mainly herring, cod, haddock, whiting and plaice; in Noordwijk-Binnen ropewalks made the rope.
The end of fishing: restrictions in the French period and afterwards, a lack of shipowners and low incomes made fishing decline, and in 1913 the last bomschuit sailed out.
The lighthouse (1923): after a small stone tower from 1854, the present lighthouse was built in 1921 and 1922 to a design by Otto Jelsma; on 1 August 1923 the light was lit for the first time and the whole village turned out.
The last keeper: Dick van Dee was Noordwijk's last lighthouse keeper from 1954 to 1986; the tower has been a national monument since 1980.

Zeeërs, Binders, herbs and bulbs

For centuries faith and trade separated the fishermen by the sea from the growers in Noordwijk-Binnen.

Beggars and Catholics: after the Reformation Noordwijk aan Zee became Protestant and supplied many Beggars (rebels) in the Eighty Years' War, who suffered heavily, while Catholic Noordwijk-Binnen was spared.
Zeeër or Binder: to this day older Noordwijkers in particular feel themselves either a Zeeër or a Binder.
The herb centre: herb growing began in the medieval Sint-Barbaraconvent, and in the 18th and 19th centuries Noordwijk-Binnen was the most important herb centre in the Netherlands, trading via Amsterdam.
From herbs to bulbs (1880): when chemical medicines replaced herbs, the sandy soil proved ideal for flower bulbs, and some 250 growers of tulips, daffodils and gladioli soon settled here.
Life on the farm: at the Veldzicht local museum, a farmhouse from 1858, you can see how farming and growing were done in Noordwijk in the past.
Blooming Bollenstreek: every spring the bulb fields behind the dunes burst into colour, with Keukenhof as the most famous flower park.

The Flower Seaside Resort of Europe

In 1866 Noordwijk's history as a seaside resort began, first for the wealthy elite and later for everyone.

Bathing coaches (1866): because sea water was thought to have healing powers, bathers came to the beach by carriage, where bath attendants helped them into the sea.
A villa district in the dunes (1883): in 1883 the Maatschappij Noordwijk tot exploitatie van Duingronden bought dune land on the south side, where landscape architect Dirk Wattez designed a promenade of over 1200 metres with winding villa streets.
Huis ter Duin: around the same time the first pile was driven for Huis ter Duin, the grand hotel that became Noordwijk's showpiece.
By tram to the sea (1885): from 22 June 1885 to 7 October 1960 a tram ran to Leiden, a steam tram until 1912 and then the electric Blauwe Tram, which made the beach accessible to everyone.
Beach and flowers: the combination of the wide beach and the colourful bulb fields made Noordwijk the Flower Seaside Resort of Europe; Museum Noordwijk tells this story.

The Atlantic Wall and modern Noordwijk

In the 20th century Noordwijk too was touched by war, after which it grew into an international seaside resort.

The Atlantic Wall: in the Second World War the coast at Noordwijk became part of the German Atlantic Wall; in a former bunker in the dunes the Atlantikwall Museum tells this story.
Space travel: the European space research centre ESTEC lies in the dunes near Noordwijk, and its visitor centre Space Expo shows the history of space travel.
One municipality (2019): on 1 January 2019 Noordwijk merged with Noordwijkerhout, which also includes the village of De Zilk.
Tourism: Noordwijk aan Zee counts over a million overnight stays a year and often hosts international conferences and sports teams.

Experience history yourself in Noordwijk

By bike you quickly get from the farm and the old church in Noordwijk-Binnen to the museum, the lighthouse and the bunkers by the sea.

Veldzicht local museum: start at the historic farmhouse of the Veldzicht local museum on the Herenweg.
Old Jeroens Church: visit the Old Jeroens Church on the Voorstraat, successor to the medieval pilgrim church.
Museum Noordwijk: discover the story of the Zeeërs and Binders at Museum Noordwijk on the Jan Kroonsplein.
Lighthouse: admire the lighthouse on the Vuurtorenplein, where fishermen lit fires as early as 1444.
Atlantikwall Museum: descend into the Atlantikwall Museum in the northern dunes.
Keukenhof: in spring, cycle through the bulb fields to Keukenhof in Lisse.

Cycle route past these places

Combine most of the places above in a bike ride of around 7 kilometres, from Noordwijk-Binnen to the dunes at Noordwijk aan Zee.