Texel

Texel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtɛsəl] (listen); Texels dialect: Tessel) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den Helder, northeast of Noorderhaaks, and southwest of Vlieland.

This article is about the Dutch island. For other uses, see Texel (disambiguation).

Texel
Municipality and island
North end of the island with the Eierland Lighthouse in 2015
Flag
Coat of arms
Location in North Holland
Coordinates: 53°3′N 4°48′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceNorth Holland
Government
 • BodyMunicipal council
 • MayorMichiel Uitdehaag (D66)
Area
 • Total463.16 km2 (178.83 sq mi)
 • Land162.00 km2 (62.55 sq mi)
 • Water301.16 km2 (116.28 sq mi)
Elevation2 m (7 ft)
Population
 (January 2019)[4]
 • Total13,547
 • Density84/km2 (220/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Tesselaar, Texelaar
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
1790–1797
Area code0222
Websitewww.texel.nl

Name

The name Texel is Frisian, but because of historical sound-changes in Dutch, where all -x- sounds have been replaced with -s- sounds (compare for instance English fox, Frisian fokse, German Fuchs with Dutch vos), the name is typically pronounced Tessel in Dutch.[5]

History

The All Saints' Flood (1170) created the islands of Texel and Wieringen from North Holland.[6] In the 13th century Ada, Countess of Holland was held prisoner on Texel by her uncle, William I, Count of Holland.

Texel received city rights in 1415.

Texel was involved in the Battle of Scheveningen (1653) during the First Anglo-Dutch War and the Battle of Texel (1673) during the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

Dutch ships in the roadstead of Texel, 1671
HMS Hero wrecked at Haak Sands near Texel December 25, 1811

During the American Revolution, Texel was used as a haven port by John Paul Jones after the Battle of Flamborough Head off the Yorkshire coast in September 1779. In that action, Jones defeated and captured the British ship Serapis, which he sailed to Texel for desperately needed repairs. This event further complicated Anglo-Dutch relations.

Texel is famous in military history as the only place where a navy was defeated on horseback. Occupying Holland in January 1795, the French continental army learned that the Dutch navy had been frozen into the ice around Texel, so Commandant Louis Joseph Lahure and 128 men rode up to it and demanded surrender. No shots were fired.

In 1797, Texel was involved in the Battle of Camperdown during the French Revolutionary Wars.

In 1799, HMS Lutine, a British frigate loaded with British gold, sank along the Texel coast in a storm. Her wreck shifted in the sands; despite several intensive, well financed searches, only a few treasures have been found.[7] A beaker made from a silver bar is displayed in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. Her bell was recovered and is now in the headquarters of Lloyds of London, where it is tolled before announcing important news.[8]

During the First World War in 1914, the Battle off Texel took place off the coast of Texel.

On the night of 31 August 1940, the sea to the northwest of Texel was the scene of the sinking of two British destroyers and the severe damage of a third by German mines in what is known as the Texel Disaster.

At the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Georgian uprising on Texel took place on the island.

Geography
2014 map of Texel

The municipality is located at 53°3′N 4°48′E north of the mainland of the province of North Holland and west of the mainland of the province of Friesland. The island of Texel is situated north of the city of Den Helder, northeast of the uninhabited island of Noorderhaaks, which is part of the municipality, and southwest of the island of Vlieland.

The island includes the seven villages:

and the small townships of

  • Bargen
  • De Nes
  • Dijkmanshuizen
  • Driehuizen
  • Harkebuurt
  • 't Horntje
  • Midden-Eierland
  • Molenbuurt
  • Nieuweschild
  • Noorderbuurt
  • Ongeren
  • Oost
  • Spang
  • Spijkdorp
  • Tienhoven
  • Westermient
  • Zevenhuizen
  • Zuid-Eierland

The island of Texel was originally made up of two islands, Texel proper to the south and Eierland to the northeast, which were connected by shoals. In the early seventeenth century, the islands were connected by a dyke to keep the North Sea from ravaging the coastal areas of Texel proper. In the mid-nineteenth century a polder completed the northern half of the island. Today, Texel forms the largest natural barrier between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea.

The dune landscape along the western coast of the island is protected as Dunes of Texel National Park.

Landscape

The island is 23.7 km long and 9.6 km wide, its surface is 169.82 square kilometres. The highest point of the island is not, as one might assume, de Hoge Berg (15 m above sea level), but the dune "Bertusnol" (also "Nol van Bertus"), which is situated in the Dunes of Texel National Park, at 19.6 m. The dune landscape on Texel is a unique habitat for wildlife. Notable areas include De Slufter, where the tide comes in and meets the dunes, forming a marshy environment rich in both fauna and flora. Texel is known for its wildlife, particularly in winter, when birds of prey and geese take up residence. About one third of Texel is a protected nature reserve. A wetland called Utopia has been designed for birds to nest in.[9]

  • The Dunes of Texel National Park
  • Texel Landscape
  • De Koog - Koogerstrand - View Northwest
  • Dunes on Texel
  • Beach on the island of Texel
  • Duinen van Texel
  • Nature and environment excursion in De Slufter
  • Texel
  • Aerial view of De Slufter
  • Northern tip of Texel (Vlieland in the distance)

Climate

Texel has an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) that is heavily influenced by its offshore position. The annual average high oscillation is between 5 °C (41 °F) and 21 °C (70 °F). While winters are similar to mainland areas, summers remain cooler. The relative proximity to the mainland still renders heat bursts to reach Texel with five months having recorded temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F). While the island is relatively rainy, the precipitation is generally quite even and moderate throughout most of the year although there is a dry peak in late spring and a rain peak in autumn.

Climate data for Texel
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 13.7
(56.7)		 14.9
(58.8)		 20.5
(68.9)		 27.9
(82.2)		 31.0
(87.8)		 31.7
(89.1)		 34.6
(94.3)		 33.8
(92.8)		 32.6
(90.7)		 24.8
(76.6)		 17.7
(63.9)		 15.3
(59.5)		 34.6
(94.3)
Average high °C (°F) 5.5
(41.9)		 5.5
(41.9)		 8.3
(46.9)		 11.7
(53.1)		 15.4
(59.7)		 18
(64)		 20.3
(68.5)		 20.6
(69.1)		 17.9
(64.2)		 14
(57)		 9.7
(49.5)		 6.4
(43.5)		 12.8
(54.9)
Average low °C (°F) 1.2
(34.2)		 0.8
(33.4)		 2.8
(37.0)		 5
(41)		 8.6
(47.5)		 11.3
(52.3)		 13.8
(56.8)		 14
(57)		 11.7
(53.1)		 8.5
(47.3)		 4.9
(40.8)		 2
(36)		 7.1
(44.7)
Record low °C (°F) −18.8
(−1.8)		 −18.5
(−1.3)		 −14.5
(5.9)		 −4.8
(23.4)		 −2.1
(28.2)		 1.5
(34.7)		 5.2
(41.4)		 5.6
(42.1)		 3.0
(37.4)		 −4.6
(23.7)		 −10.8
(12.6)		 −12.3
(9.9)		 −18.8
(−1.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 66.2
(2.61)		 44.4
(1.75)		 52.4
(2.06)		 33.7
(1.33)		 45
(1.8)		 54.1
(2.13)		 59.8
(2.35)		 76.8
(3.02)		 83.7
(3.30)		 95.9
(3.78)		 83.5
(3.29)		 69.8
(2.75)		 765.3
(30.17)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 64.1 91.1 134.8 194.2 235.2 219 228.2 208.2 148 114.2 63.1 51 1,751.1
Source 1: [10]
Source 2: [11]

Notable people
Imme Dros, 2010
Alice Blom, 2010

Sport

Economy

The tourism industry forms a substantial part of the economy in Texel. Approximately 70% of activities on Texel are in some way related to tourism. Popular forms of tourism on Texel include cycling, walking, swimming and horse riding. Farming (sheep, potatoes, dairy, tulips, and grain) and fishing (primarily from Oudeschild) are traditional.

Local government
Eierland Lighthouse in 2013

The municipal council of Texel consists of 15 seats, which are divided as follows (from the most recent election results in 2018:

Transport
Ferry MS Dokter Wagemaker (2) from Den Helder to Texel in 2005

Transport around the island is typically by bicycle, bus (Texelhopper) or car. Texel has an extensive cycle path network. Transport to Texel is easiest by a very short ferry tripRoyal TESO), from Den Helder, or by air via Texel International Airport. The ferry Texelstroom uses 80% compressed natural gas.[13]

See also

References
  1. "B&W samenstelling en portefeuilles" [Mayor and aldermen members and tasks] (in Dutch). Gemeente Texel. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  2. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020" [Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020]. StatLine (in Dutch). CBS. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. "Postcodetool for 1791AT". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  4. "Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand" [Population growth; regions per month]. CBS Statline (in Dutch). CBS. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  5. Donaldson, Bruce C. (1983). Dutch: A Linguistic History of Holland and Belgium. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff. p. 151. ISBN 9789024791668.
  6. Ley, Willy (October 1961). "The Home-Made Land". For Your Information. Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 92–106.
  7. Simons, Paul (9 October 2019). "Mystery of the sinking of HMS Lutine". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019.
  8. Lytton, Chris (7 April 2019). "The Story of the Lutine Bell". Markel Marine Insurance. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  9. Utopia voor vogels
  10. "Klimaatatlas| KNMI". knmi.nl. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  11. "www.weergegevens.nl". Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  12. IMDb Database retrieved 06 July 2019
  13. "Norske Umoe har levert verdens første trykktanker i kompositt til skip". Teknisk Ukeblad. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
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