150 years seaside resort
-
Bathing machines & operators
The years of glory and grandeur
1866: exactly 150 years ago. It was the time of seaside chaging cabins and men who came to bathe. It was said that seawater had a purifying effect. A visit to the beach was only reserved for the wealty and the elite. A day at the seaside and on the beach was an extremely chic occasion.
History years seaside resort
Elegant ladies wearing pretty hats chattered to one another in wicker beach chairs. Not in bikinis but in normal clothes. Boots were probably removed or skirts were indeed pulled up ever so slightly. Then, when they went into the water, changing cabbines appeared. The ladies and gentlemen wore bathing suits with leggings, which they brought with them. Actually, no-one was allowed to see when they went into the water. It was about this time that the construction of Huis ter Duin and large beautiful villas was started on Noordwijk's highest dune top.s A time of glory and grandeur for the happy few of yesteryear. Yet, after the war, the beach became more accessible to the less well-to-do. The arrival of the (blue) steam tram enabled many beach lovers to come to Noordwijk. The unique combination of beach and colourful blossoming bulb flowers finally turned Noordwijk into the 'Flower Seaside Resort of Europe'.
