Egmond () is a former

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the north-western

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, in the province of

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

. In 2001, it was merged with the municipalities of

Schoorl Schoorl is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bergen, North Holland, Bergen, and lies about 8 km northwest of Alkmaar. Until 2001, Schoorl was also a municipality of its own. Sch ...

and

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

to form the municipality of Bergen. The three main villages in the former municipality are

Egmond aan den Hoef Egmond aan den Hoef () is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bergen, and lies about west of Alkmaar. Until 2001, Egmond aan den Hoef was part of the municipality of Egmond. The village was fir ...

Egmond aan Zee Egmond aan Zee () is a village on the North Sea coast in the Netherlands, Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bergen, North Holland, Bergen, about 9 km west of Alkmaar. Egmond aan Zee was a separate municipali ...

and

Egmond-Binnen Egmond-Binnen () is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bergen, and lies about southwest of Alkmaar. History The village was first mentioned in 922 as Ekmunde. The etymology is unknown. The mi ...

. The place gave its name to the

House of Egmond The House of Egmond or Egmont (French language, French: ''Maison d'Egmond'', Dutch language, Dutch: ''Huis Egmond'') is named after the Netherlands, Dutch town of Egmond aan den Hoef, Egmond, province of North Holland, and played an important role ...

, who became the powerful protectors of

Egmond Abbey Egmond Abbey or St. Adalbert's Abbey (, ''Sint-Adelbertabdij'') is a Rule of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation, situated in Egmond-Binnen, in the municipality of Bergen, North Holland, Bergen, in the Neth ...

, founded in the 9th-century in Egmond-Binnen, and who built their residence (''hoeve/hoef'') in Egmond aan den Hoef. The French philosopher

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

, author of ''

Meditations on First Philosophy ''Meditations on First Philosophy, in which the existence of God and the immortality of the soul are demonstrated'' (), often called simply the ''Meditations'', is a philosophical treatise by René Descartes first published in Latin in 1641. T ...

'', lived in both Egmond aan den Hoef and (mostly) Egmond-Binnen from April 1636 to September 1638 and again from May 1643 until the end of September 1649 before leaving for

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

(where he died 4 months later).Places where Descartes lived
/ref> His ''Les Météores'', ''La Dioptrique'' and ''La Géométrie'' were published in the first period and his letters to

Elisabeth of the Palatinate Elisabeth of the Palatinate (; 26 December 1618 – 11 February 1680), also known as Elisabeth of Bohemia (), Princess Elisabeth of the Palatinate, or Princess-Abbess of Herford Abbey, was the eldest daughter of Frederick V, Elector Palatine (w ...

and ''Les Passions de l'âme'' were from the second period. Descartes lived longer in Egmond than in any other place in his life.

References

Egmont from the sea Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2001 Former municipalities of North Holland {{NorthHolland-geo-stub