Loon op Zand

Loon op Zand
Municipality

Windmill in Kaatsheuvel

Flag

Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Loon op Zand in a municipal map of North Brabant
Location in North Brabant
Coordinates: 51°40′N 5°2′E / 51.667°N 5.033°E / 51.667; 5.033Coordinates: 51°40′N 5°2′E / 51.667°N 5.033°E / 51.667; 5.033
Country Netherlands
Province North Brabant
Government[1]
  Body Municipal council
  Mayor Wim Luijendijk (PvdA)
Area[2]
  Total 50.71 km2 (19.58 sq mi)
  Land 50.15 km2 (19.36 sq mi)
  Water 0.56 km2 (0.22 sq mi)
Elevation[3] 5 m (16 ft)
Population (May 2014)[4]
  Total 23,126
  Density 461/km2 (1,190/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 5170–5176
Area code 013, 0416
Website www.loonopzand.nl
Loon op Zand, sculpture in the street

Loon op Zand (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈloːn ɔp ˈsɑnt])[5] is a municipality and a village in the southern Netherlands. It had a population of 23,126 in 2014.

Population centres

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Loon op Zand, June 2015.

Kaatsheuvel

Kaatsheuvel is the location of the amusement park 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.

References

  1. "Burgemeester dhr. W.C. Luijendijk" (in Dutch). Gemeente Loon op Zand. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten" [Key figures for neighbourhoods]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  3. "Postcodetool for 5171EJ". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  5. Zand in isolation: [ˈzɑnt].
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