Schoorl is a village in the Dutch 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 ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

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 ...

, and lies about 8 km northwest of

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. Alkmaar is well known fo ...

. Until 2001, Schoorl was also a municipality of its own. Schoorl is a village in between the polder area of

and the Schoorlse

dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

. The village is about 8 km (5mls) long and never wider than 2 km (1mls). The village is heavily protected by the highest and widest dunes of the

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 ...

, which reach about 54 m (164 ft) above sealevel right behind the center of Schoorl, and are more than 5 km (3mls) wide. Schoorl is a major local tourism location in the summer and counts over 25 campsites, the largest concentration of campsites in the

The village, earlier named ''Scorel'' contains evidence of a long history in the form of two ''raadhuisjes'' (town hall) aging from 1600. The Dutch painter and evangelist Jan van Scorel was born here. Meidenmarkt is the most renowned yearly festivity that is celebrated once a year on the second day (Monday) of

pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

(see also this list of dates to see when Pentecost begins). The celebration is a 100-year-old tradition where the local youngsters can meet partners of the opposite sex. The celebration takes place on the klimduin in the center of town. This klimduin is a century-old attraction and many Dutch people have visited it as part of a school trip. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Kamp Schoorl Schoorl transit camp (, ), originally a Dutch army camp (1939–1940), was a Nazi concentration camp (1940–1941) near the village of Schoorl in the Netherlands. History ''Kamp Schoorl'' was built in 1939 as a Dutch army camp. Nazi Germany ...

was a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

originally built as a Dutch army camp. Jews and political prisoners were imprisoned there and some were then deported in camps in the east where they were later murdered.

Statistics

The former municipality of Schoorl also included Aagtdorp, Catrijp, Groet, and Camperduin, and had about 6500 inhabitants. . "Schoorl" was until about 200 years ago known as "Schorel" (also part known as "Schoreldam") and the family crest (coat of arms) is recorded as being St Michaels (the dragon slayer), and was found on a grave some 1,000 years old. It appears that Jan van Schorel during his travelling through southern countries in Europe held it was easier to use the name Jan van Scorel, Jan van Schoorl, and other versions of his surname. Very old maps of North Holland/The Netherlands show "Schorel".

References

External links

* {{Authority control Holocaust locations in the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2001 Former municipalities of North Holland Populated places in North Holland Bergen, North Holland