Sommelsdijk

Sommelsdijk
Village
Coordinates: 51°45′17″N 4°9′11″E / 51.75472°N 4.15306°E
Country	Netherlands
Province	South Holland
Municipality	Goeree-Overflakkee
Population (1 January 2009)	7,470

Old postcard of Sommelsdijk with harbour and mill.

Sommelsdijk is a village on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee, South Holland, the Netherlands, and part of the municipality of the same name. Sommelsdijk has (1 January 2006) 7,383 inhabitants which makes it the largest settlement on the island.

In the past, Sommelsdijk was the only place on the island of Goeree-Overflakee that was part of the province of Zeeland. In 1805 it was made a part of Holland, and remained such under the amendment of the Dutch Constitution of 1814.

Early March 1941 during the Second World War, nearly two hundred young men from Sommelsdijk were incarcerated for one month because of insulting the German army and the Dutch police.

Sommelsdijk was a separate municipality until 1966, when it became part of Middelharnis.^[1] Most recently, it was made part of the new municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee in 2013.

Attractions

The centre of Sommelsdijk is protected by the Dutch Monument Law. Its Reformed Church used to be the largest church on the island, but not much remains of the original building, because of several fires and other damage.

Next to the church is the Streekmuseum Sommelsdijk (Local Museum Sommelsdijk). The front street has several monumental buildings form the 17th and 18th century. On the western dike is a raised windmill.

Born in Sommelsdijk

• Theo van den Doel (born 1952), politician (VVD)
• Arie Luyendijk (born 1953), winner of the Indy 500 (1990, 1997)

References

1. Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2006.

External links

• J. Kuyper, Gemeente Atlas van Nederland, 1865-1870, "Sommelsdijk". Map of the former municipality, around 1868.