Editing Zandvoort (section)

==History==
[[File:Gem-Zandvoort-OpenTopo.jpg|thumb|Topographic map of Zandvoort, 2014]]
[[File:Aerial view of the North Sea, Zandvoort, the Netherlands (47980173173).jpg|thumb|Zandvoort aan Zee]]
[[File:Fritz von Uhde Leierkastenmann.jpg|thumb|''Organ Grinder in Zandvoort'', 1883 painting by [[Fritz von Uhde]]. Click to expand.]]
[[File:Zandvoort, vuurtoren foto2 2011-06-12 11.58.JPG|Zandvoort, water tower|thumb|170px]]
Zandvoort is known to exist in 1100, called ''Sandevoerde'' (a combination of "sand" and "''voorde''", meaning [[ford (crossing)|ford]]; compare English ''[[Sandford (disambiguation)#Places|Sandford]]''). Until 1722 the area was under the control of the [[Van Brederode|Lords of Brederode]]. The village was dependent on fishing for many centuries until the 19th century when it started to transform itself into a seaside resort, following the pattern set by similar towns in the [[United Kingdom]]. In 1828 the first resort was inaugurated. Thereafter many notable persons would visit Zandvoort, including [[Elisabeth of Bavaria]] in 1884 and 1885. In the middle of the same century, potato cultivation started in the dunes.

In 1881 the railway station near the coast opened, followed by [[tram]] connection to Haarlem in 1899, which greatly increased the beach tourism. In 1905 one of the earliest Dutch fictional films was shot in the town, ''[[De mésaventure van een Fransch heertje zonder pantalon aan het strand te Zandvoort]]''. During [[World War II]], Zandvoort was heavily damaged. On May 23, 1942, beach access was no longer permitted and several months later the town was almost completely vacated. Resorts and avenues were demolished to make way for the coastal fortifications of the [[Atlantic Wall]].

After the war, the town's growth accelerated, matching the growth in tourism. In 1948, [[Circuit Zandvoort]] was built, hosting the [[Dutch Grand Prix]] for several decades, until 1985. The Dutch GP returned in 2021, in the [[2021 Formula One World Championship]]. Zandvoort continues to be a major Dutch resort location, where nearly half of all employment is related to tourism. The Dutch singer [[Mouth & MacNeal|Willem Duyn]]'s ''De Eerste Trein Naar Zandvoort'' ("First train to Zandvoort"), modeled on the American song [[Chattanooga Choo Choo]] and chronicling chaos and mayhem on the first seaside train, was a hit in the summer of 1983.