The municipality extends inland to take inBentveld; it had a population of 16,954 in 2017. Anudist bathing section of the beach begins about 2 km (1¼ miles) to the south, with six eateries, which extends kilometers (miles) further.
Topographic map of Zandvoort, 2014Zandvoort aan ZeeOrgan Grinder in Zandvoort, 1883 painting byFritz von Uhde. Click to expand.Zandvoort, water tower
Zandvoort is known to exist in 1100, calledSandevoerde (a combination of "sand" and "voorde", meaningford; compare EnglishSandford). Until 1722 the area was under the control of theLords of Brederode. The village was dependent on fishing for many centuries until the 19th century when it started to transform itself into a seaside resort, following the pattern set by similar towns in theUnited Kingdom. In 1828 the first resort was inaugurated. Thereafter many notable persons would visit Zandvoort, includingElisabeth of Bavaria in 1884 and 1885. In the middle of the same century, potato cultivation started in the dunes.
In 1881 the railway station near the coast opened, followed bytram connection toHaarlem in 1899, which greatly increased the beach tourism. In 1905 one of the earliest Dutch fictional films was shot in the town,De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort. DuringWorld War II, Zandvoort was heavily damaged. On May 23, 1942, beach access was no longer permitted and several months later the town was almost completely vacated. Resorts and avenues were demolished to make way for the coastal fortifications of theAtlantic Wall.
After the war, the town's growth accelerated, matching the growth in tourism. In 1948,Circuit Zandvoort was built, hosting theDutch Grand Prix for several decades, until 1985. The Dutch GP returned in 2021, in the2021 Formula One World Championship. Zandvoort continues to be a major Dutch resort location, where nearly half of all employment is related to tourism. The Dutch singerWillem Duyn'sDe Eerste Trein Naar Zandvoort ("First train to Zandvoort"), modeled on the American songChattanooga Choo Choo and chronicling chaos and mayhem on the first seaside train, was a hit in the summer of 1983.
Lovis Corinth (1858–1925) German artist and writer, painter and printmaker died of pneumonia in Zandvoort having made a final visit to see his favouriteDutch masters
^"Postcodetool for 2042KB".Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived fromthe original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved24 March 2014.
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