‘Noordwijk aan Zee is no more’

From around 1866, Noordwijk aan Zee morphed from a small fishing village into a fashionable seaside resort. Although this transformation was set in train by a local hotelier, it was not fully realized until 1887, thanks to the initiatives of a developer from outside the village. The evolution from fishing village to seaside resort followed the model formulated in 1980 by the geographer R.W. Butler. This model distinguished seven stages: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation, decline and rejuvenation. In the period 1887-1920, Noordwijk aan Zee underwent the stages of involvement and development. Some residents spotted an opportunity to make some money by providing services. The ambience of the village, originally determined by traditional fishermen’s cottages and sheds, changed dramatically. Development extended beyond the existing street plan and the sandy paths lining the sea wall were transformed into boulevards. Among the dunes to the south of the village core, an enclave of villas arose; to the north of the village core, labourers’ cottages. The role played by local architect-builders in the urban and architectural development of the Noordwijk aan Zee resort has received scant attention to date. In most architectural histories of Noordwijk, and of seaside resorts in general, the focus is on established architects. But given that their contribution was usually confined to a single work, their role in the spatial development of fashionable Noordwijk was negligible. It was primarily local builders who shaped the new streetscape. Working to order or on their own account, they were the most prolific builders. They drew their inspiration from the formal idiom of established architects and from the available pattern books. Various local builders ventured into tourism, as managers of summer villas, guesthouses or hotels. In that enterprise, too, they set their stamp on the appearance of the village. The construction boom that characterized the years 1887-1920 also drew builders from outside Noordwijk to settle in the village. Up to that point the local construction world had been dominated by builders’ families that had lived in the village for generations. The old families tended to confine their activities to the historical core, while most of the newcomers built outside the core. The study of local architect-builders in Noordwijk aan Zee sits within the context of Baukultur as formulated in the 2018 Davos Declaration. Local government has shown little interest in the Baukultur of Noordwijk in the period up to 1945. Although the seaside resort escaped major damage during the Second World War, since 1960 Noordwijk aan Zee has undergone large-scale demolition and redevelopment. The current situation is one of attrition; every year, one or two buildings from the town’s heyday as a popular seaside resort disappear forever.