Wieringen

Westerland

Westerland is, as the name suggests, the most westerly village on Wieringen.
In and around Westerland about 1000 people live (770 in Westerland itself, 170 in De Haukes and another 50 outside the villages.
At Westerland we find the highest point of the island (13 metres above sealevel). Through the Noorderkerkweg you can reach this point. From here there is a magnificent view of the surrounding landscape. When the sky is bright you can see Den Helder and Texel from here. The village is built in a typical ribbonlike shape on and against one of the hills that were pushed up by the glaciers during the iceages. The result is a number of highly unusual steap roads (unusual for Noord Holland). The Damsterpad in particular can prove to be quite an obstacle when cycling here.

Westerland has a number of intersting sights. Approximately in the middle we vind the Westerlander church, officially called the Nicholaschurch. The tower of this picturesque little church dates back to the 14th or 15th century, the nave was rebuilt in the early 1800s when the original church was torn down after becoming too derelict. It is very likely that there has been a church on this spot since at least the 12th century, but conclusive evidence has not been found yet.

Villa Waterkeer

At the westerly start of the village we see the villa "Waterkeer". This very large villa was built at one of the most beautiful spots on Wieringen as "temporary dwelling" for the main engineer Lely, the man who made the plans to close the Zuiderzee. When the Afsluitdijk (Closing dam) was finished the villa has been used as a boarding-house for a long time.

Further sights in Westerland include several old Wieringer farms, although most of them were drastically changed and only possess few of the original elements.

From the Westerlander church it is possible to take an unpaved road through the fields to the parallel road along the N99 (the main road).

From there it is only a small way to the new fly-over that was built in order to make the very dangerous crossing saver. At this place is also the monument for the remembrance of the victims of the second worldwar.
When we approach Westerland again from the Amstelmeerside we will first see the appartmentblock called Aemstelsigt with a large number of holidayhouses, mainly possessed by german tourists. Nearby is the Lutjestrand, a small beach at the Amstelmeer. Here is the Lutje Beachclub, a sort of beach pavillion.


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