Petten, Holland, NL
Photos / Stories
Petten, Holland - 739 - 1421 (Petten # 1)
Petten, Holland, 1609 - 1421-1625 (Petten # 2)
Petten, Holland - Villagers - 1914
Town Hall, Petten, Holland - Town Hall - 1914
Petten, Holland 1930 - 1930
Petten, Holland 1935 - 1625-1943; Arial View - 1935 (Petten # 3)
Petten, Holland 1943 - About 1943 - after the Nazi's were finished
Petten, Holland 1960 - 1946 - current; Arial View - 1960 (Petten # 4)
Please excuse my mess while I try to revamp this webpage.  There have been
four (4) different Petten, Holland's throughout history and I would like to
represent them each - the best that I can.  Frans J. Vriendjes of Den Helder,
Holland (who lives about 13 km north of Petten, Holland) has been instrumental
in the changing of this webpage.  His Father and Grandfather were from Petten,
therefore he has been of some information with data and photos and my total
appreciation goes out to this fine gentleman for his help and contributions !!!

New help is now coming from the Zijper Museum in Holland with the help and
direction of Gerard van Nes and his colleague, Kees Otter (nothing new yet of
2004 and 2006 - - nothing new still).

Of course, this will all take time.

* Destruction dates are known but rebuilding dates are not exactly known, so the
reconstruction dates are "about" and just that - "about".

Petten, Holland # 1: about 739 - 1421 (swallowed by the sea)
Petten, Holland # 2: about 1421- 1625 (flooded by the sea)
Petten, Holland # 3: about 1625 - 1943 (destroyed by WWII Germans)
Petten, Holland # 4: 1946 - Moved a short distance away from the sea, from it's
original site and lives on !!! - 2011.

* Destruction dates are known but rebuilding dates are not exactly known. so the
reconstruction dates are "about" and just that - "about".

In 1989, Petten celebrated its 1250th year of existence anniversary.

The name "Petten" refers to the three (fresh water) wells (Dutch: putten) which
were once located there. There was already mention of a sand dike in 1388
between Petten and 't Oghe (Callanstoog).  In the St. Elizabeth's flood (1421),
Petten was entirely washed away and the sand dunes were damaged.  A
"sleeper" dike was built behind the dunes in 1432 and from 1506 active "coastal
defence" took place, with pile heads of beams from Norway and Sweden and
stone from Vilvoorde.  Even so, more than 100 houses were washed away in
1625, plus the church of Petten.  The construction of the Hondsbossche
zeewering began in 1793.

Petten belonged to the nobility of Petten en Nolmerban (year unknown), and
then became a municipality.  In 1929, the municipality of Petten was
incorporated into the municipality of Zijpe.  During WWII (the Second World
War), the entire town of Petten was "broken up" in 1943 by order of the German
Wehrmacht (Army) because of the construction of the "Atlantic Wall".  The
church of Petten was demolished in 1944.

After the war, a whole new town was built from 1946 (inland and away from the
coastline), designed by the architects Van de Ban and De Vassy (who already
bore in mind the development of "tourism").

During this time (1946) Petten lost its self-governing position and was joined
together within the municipality of Zijpe.  In 1955, the foundation "Reactor
Centrum Nederland" (RCN) was set up, that went on to build a research -
reactor (Petten nuclear reactor).  Since 1976, the foundation is called the Energy
research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN).

As of 2006, Petten is now a seaside resort located near the Hondsbossche sea
wall.  Around 1500 people live in the village of Petten year round (municipality
Zijpe).