Loon op Zand
Municipality
Windmill in Kaatsheuvel
Windmill in Kaatsheuvel
Flag of Loon op Zand
Flag
Coat of arms of Loon op Zand
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Loon op Zand in a municipal map of North Brabant
Location in North Brabant
Coordinates: 51°40′N 5°2′E / 51.667°N 5.033°E / 51.667; 5.033
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceNorth Brabant
Government
[1]
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorHanne van Aart (VVD)
Area
[2]
 • Total50.71 km2 (19.58 sq mi)
 • Land49.94 km2 (19.28 sq mi)
 • Water0.77 km2 (0.30 sq mi)
Elevation
[3]
5 m (16 ft)
Population
 (January 2021)[4]
 • Total23,504
 • Density471/km2 (1,220/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
5170–5176
Area code013, 0416
Websitewww.loonopzand.nl
Loon op Zand, sculpture in the street

Loon op Zand (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈloːn ɔp ˈsɑnt] ⓘ)[lower-alpha 1] is a municipality and a village in the southern Netherlands. It had a population of 23,504 in 2021.

The western part of national park the Loonse en Drunense Duinen is located in the municipality of Loon op Zand.

Population centres

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Loon op Zand, June 2015.

Kaatsheuvel

Kaatsheuvel is the location of the amusement park Efteling.

Loon op Zand

The charter from 1269 that loans the land from John I, Duke of Brabant to Willem van Horne. Namesake of Loon op Zand.

Loon op Zand is the oldest village of the municipality. Somewhere around the year 1000, this village was founded in a very wet and swampy area. There was also a lot of drift-sand whose origin, according to geological experts, dates back to the last ice age. As of this moment, Loon op Zand has the biggest driftsand area in all of western Europe. Historically, the presence of this driftsand has caused the relocation of the village on several times. Hinerland farmers build many sandy embankments or levies to protect their land against the ceaseless drifting sand.

The presence of this driftsand explains the name of Loon op Zand. Before 1391, a village called 'Venloon' was situated just a few hundred metres to the north-east of the current village of Loon op Zand. After the villagers relocated in 1391, they called their new village 'Venloon op 't Zant' (Venloon on the Sand), which over the years changed to 'Loon op Zand'.[5]

For 200 years, Loon op Zand and Kaatsheuvel were the centre of the leather tanning and shoe manufacturing industry of the region. There were a lot of factories; most of these were in people's backyards. There were some big shoe manufacturers, such as Van Lier. This world-famous shoe brand originated in Loon op Zand. Just prior to the new millennium, Van Lier abandoned their factory in Loon op Zand and moved to a bigger factory in Breda.

Notable people

Jacqueline Govaert, 2005

Notes

  1. ↑ Zand in isolation is [ˈzɑnt].

References

  1. ↑ "Burgemeester dhr. W.C. Luijendijk" (in Dutch). Gemeente Loon op Zand. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 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 5171EJ". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  5. ↑ https://www.brabantserfgoed.nl/page/11359/venloon-en-het-oprukkende-stuifzand
  6. ↑ IMDb Database retrieved 26 November 2019
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