Sommelsdijk is a village on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee,

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

, the Netherlands, and part of the municipality of the same name. Sommelsdijk has (1 January 2022) 7,195 inhabitants which makes it the second largest settlement after

Middelharnis Middelharnis () is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee. The town had a population of about 6,800 in 2012. On 1 January 2013, Middelharnis merged with Goe ...

on the island. In the past, Sommelsdijk was the only place on the island of Goeree-Overflakee that was part of the province of

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

. In 1805 it was made a part of Holland, and remained such under the amendment of the Dutch Constitution of 1814. Early March 1941 during the Second World War, nearly two hundred young men from Sommelsdijk were incarcerated for one month because of insulting the German army and the Dutch police. Sommelsdijk was a separate municipality until 1966, when it became part of

. Most recently, it was made part of the new municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee in 2013.

Attractions

The centre of Sommelsdijk is protected by the Dutch Monument Law. Its Dutch Reformed Church used to be the largest church on the island, but not much remains of the original building, because of several fires and other damage. Next to the church is the

Streekmuseum Goeree-Overflakkee The Streekmuseum Goeree-Overflakkee (English: ''Regional Museum of Goeree-Overflakkee'') is established in seven small houses dating back to the seventeenth century, in the old village of Sommelsdijk in the Netherlands. The buildings are inter-con ...

(Municipal Museum of Goeree-Overflakkee). The front street has several monumental buildings form the 17th and 18th centuries. On the western dike is a raised windmill.

Notable people

* Arie Luyendijk (born 1953), winner of the Indy 500 (1990, 1997)

Gallery

File:RM29853 Sommelsdijk - Voorstraat 19.jpg, Houses in Sommeldijk File:RM29841 Sommelsdijk - Marktveld (kerk).jpg, Dutch Reformed church Image:Sommelsdijk-oude-ansicht.jpg, Old postcard of Sommelsdijk with harbour and mill File:Streekmuseum Goeree-Overflakkee.jpg, The Municipal Museum of Goeree-Overflakkee

References

External links

* {{Authority control Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Goeree-Overflakkee