Castricum (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkɑstrikʏm] (listen)) is a municipality and a town in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands.
Castricum | |
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Municipality | |
Street in Castricum | |
![]() Flag ![]() Coat of arms | |
![]() Location in North Holland | |
Coordinates: 52°33′N 4°40′E | |
Country | Netherlands |
Province | North Holland |
Government | |
• Body | Municipal council |
• Mayor | Toon Mans (VVD) |
Area | |
• Total | 60.40 km2 (23.32 sq mi) |
• Land | 49.68 km2 (19.18 sq mi) |
• Water | 10.72 km2 (4.14 sq mi) |
Elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
Population (January 2019)[4] | |
• Total | 35,772 |
• Density | 720/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
Demonym | Castricummer |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postcode | 1489, 1900–1906, 1920–1921 |
Area code | 0251 |
Website | www |
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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.
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.
The municipality of Castricum is made up of the following towns, villages and/or districts: Castricum, Akersloot, Bakkum, De Woude, Limmen.
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.
The municipal council of Castricum consists of 25 seats, which are divided as follows:
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 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]
Populated places in the municipality of Castricum | |
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Towns | |
Villages | |
List of cities, towns and villages in North Holland |
Municipalities of North Holland | ||
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