Loon op Zand Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Loon op Zand

Windmill in Kaatsheuvel

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in North Brabant

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• 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

5 m (16 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

23,126

• Density

461/km² (1,190/sq mi)

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

5170–5176

Area code

013, 0416

Loon op Zand, sculpture in the street

Loon op Zand is a municipality (a type of local government area) and a village in the southern Netherlands. In 2014, about 23,126 people lived there.

A large part of the Loonse en Drunense Duinen national park is found within the Loon op Zand municipality. This park is famous for its wide-open sand dunes.

Villages and Towns in Loon op Zand
Famous People from Loon op Zand
Gallery
See also

Villages and Towns in Loon op Zand

The municipality of Loon op Zand includes several smaller places. These are often called "population centres."

De Moer
Heikant
Kaatsheuvel
Loon op Zand

Understanding the Landscape

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

This map shows the different parts of Loon op Zand. You can see how the villages are spread out. It also shows natural areas like the sand dunes.

Kaatsheuvel: Home of Efteling

Kaatsheuvel is a well-known town in the municipality. It is famous for being the home of Efteling, a very popular amusement park. Many people visit Kaatsheuvel just to go to Efteling.

Loon op Zand: A Village with a Sandy Past

The charter from 1269 that loans the land from John I, Duke of Brabant to Willem van Horne. This document helped name Loon op Zand.

Loon op Zand is the oldest village in the area. It was started around the year 1000. At that time, the area was very wet and swampy. But it also had a lot of drift-sand. This sand came from the last ice age!

Today, Loon op Zand has the biggest drift-sand area in all of Western Europe. In the past, this moving sand caused the village to move several times. Farmers built sandy walls to protect their land from the sand.

How Loon op Zand Got Its Name

The drift-sand is why the village is called Loon op Zand. Before 1391, there was a village called 'Venloon' nearby. When the villagers moved in 1391, they called their new home 'Venloon op 't Zant'. This means 'Venloon on the Sand'. Over time, the name became 'Loon op Zand'.

A History of Shoes

For 200 years, Loon op Zand and Kaatsheuvel were important for making leather and shoes. Many factories, often small ones in people's backyards, made shoes. Some big shoe brands, like Van Lier, started here. Van Lier is a world-famous shoe company that began in Loon op Zand. Later, they moved to a bigger factory in Breda.

Famous People from Loon op Zand

Many talented people have come from Loon op Zand and Kaatsheuvel. Here are a few:

Paul Litjens (born 1947 in Loon op Zand) was a famous field hockey player.
Ton Masseurs (born 1947 in Kaatsheuvel) is a Dutch musician who plays the pedal steel guitar.
Ben Knapen (born 1951 in Kaatsheuvel) is a Dutch politician. He was a leader in the Senate.
Mark van Loosdrecht (born 1959 in Loon op Zand) is a scientist and inventor. He helped create Nereda, a way to clean wastewater.
Ilse Broeders (born 1977 in Loon op Zand) is a Dutch bobsledder. She competed in the Winter Olympics in 2002 and 2006.
Jacqueline Govaert (born 1982 in Kaatsheuvel) is a Dutch singer, songwriter, and pianist.