Cities in the Netherlands
North Sea Region
The Story of Camperduin
Part of the municipality of Schoorl, it is primarily known as a beach, although the village and its neighbor Harger have developed into small resorts. Between Camperduin and Petten in the north, the coastal dunes had disappeared many centuries ago, making it necessary to build sea dikes to protect the land. Already at the end of the 16th century, the dike project was begun and it was finalized in the 18th century. It created the famed Hondsbosse Zeewering, a sea wall named for the village Hondsbosch which had been swallowed up by the sea in 1421. There are three dikes: from west to east a 'guard' or main dike, a 'dreamer' or secondary dike and further inland a 'sleeper' or auxiliary dike.