Loon op Zand () is a

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 ...

and a village in the southern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It had a population of in . 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 An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

Efteling.

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. The presence of this driftsand explains the name of Loon op Zand. It means Village build on sand. 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. 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 like 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

* Paul Litjens (born 1947 in Loon op Zand) a former field hockey player * Ton Masseurs (born 1947 in Kaatsheuvel) a Dutch

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all steel guitars, it can ...

player * Ben Knapen (born 1951 in Kaatsheuvel) a Dutch politician, the CDA parliamentary leader in the Senate * Mark van Loosdrecht (born 1959 in Loon op Zand) an academic and inventor of Nereda, a wastewater treatment technology * Ilse Broeders (born 1977 in Loon op Zand) a Dutch bobsledder, competed in the

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains independence from Indonesia and ...

and 2006 Winter Olympics * Jacqueline Govaert (born 1982 in Kaatsheuvel) a Dutch singer, songwriter, and pianist IMDb Database
retrieved 26 November 2019

Gallery

File:515255 Kasteel Loon op Zand.jpg,

Loon op Zand Castle Loon op Zand Castle, is a castle in Loon op Zand, in the Dutch Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. The current building looks like a manor, but is actually the keep of a medieval castle. The Castle The current castle No ...

File:Nationaalpark Loonse en Drunense Duinen.jpg, Nationaalpark Loonse en Drunense Duinen File:Kaatsheuvel - Raadhuisstraat.jpg, Kaatsheuvel - Raadhuisstraat File:Fietspad P1360176.jpg, Fietspad

Notes

References

External links

* Municipalities of North Brabant Populated places in North Brabant {{NorthBrabant-geo-stub