Famous Noordwijk Citizens
Janus Dousa (Jan van der Does) (1545-1604) Humanist, politician and poet
Lord of Noordwijk, commander during the Leiden siege, head and librarian of Leiden University. Buried in all his splendour in Noordwijk. A Dousa monument (1792; with his portrait) stands in the Grote or St. Jeroens church.
Elie Luzac (1721-1796) Lawyer, publicist and bookseller
Daniël Noteboom (1910-1932) One of the biggest chess talents the Netherlands has ever known
Amongst others, Noteboom played for the Netherlands during the 1930 Chess Olympics in Hamburg, and the 1931 Olympics in Prague. He is buried in Noordwijk (in the public graveyard), where there is also a chess club in his name. Upon his grave is a chessboard and a number of chess pieces.
Jacques Urlus (1867-1935) Opera singer
At
the start of the twentieth century, the tenor Jacques Urlus was one of the most
important ambassadors of Dutch music. During his long career he mainly sang the
long opera repertoires of Wagner and Strauss. He became world famous for his
interpretation of the tenor part in Das Lied von der Erde, which he often sang
under the musical direction of van Mengelberg. For a long time he was believed
to be the only tenor who could sing this part. In 1931 he bade his farewell to
the Dutch public in his role as Tristan.
J.J. Salverda de Grave (1863-1946) Linguist, Literary historian and Italian professor
Henriette Roland Holst (1869-1952) Poet and socialist
Famous
socialist poet and author; who wrote large and varied political, historical,
philosophical and literary-critical works. Henriette Roland Holst's passion and
zest for work becomes instantly clear. She was an active socialist who fought
against the rise of fascism, and who wrote for the Resistance during the Second
World War. During her life she gave the majority of her capital away to the
'Arbeiders Gemeenschap der Woodbrookers'.
Maria Montessori (1870-1952) Montessori schools founder
Maria
Montessori left Italy in 1934 as Mussolini wanted to intervene in her
educational system by deciding to introduce school uniforms, which Maria
Montessori would not accept. From one day to the next Montessori education
within Italy ceased. Maria Montessori moved to Barcelona, from where she was
ousted at the outbreak of the 1936 Spanish Civil War. In 1936 she settled in the
Netherlands, where the head quarters of the Montessori movement was then set up.
In 1950 Maria Montessori was named as a Companion of the Order of Orange-Nassau
and also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Amsterdam.
Alfred Henry (Freddy) Heineken (1923-2002)
Under his leadership Heineken became a global brand. Heineken was founded by his grandfather, Gerard Adriaan Heineken. Alfred Henry started at Heineken in 1941, but at that point in time the company was no longer a family concern. He rectified this by buying it back. He stepped down as General Director in 1989.