Once upon a time there was a small coastal village, wedged between dunes on one side and heavy industry on the other. Planners had their eyes on the ‘insignificant’ village, which they believed was an ideal location for a sludge depot. The village rebelled, showed what you could do with sludge and grew into a cultural breeding ground.
It sounds like a fairy tale, but in a nutshell this is the real story of Wijk aan Zee. Village philosopher and former café owner Bert Kisjes (85) remembers it well. “People overlook the fact that you are building a life somewhere. Those large industries only have organization, not society. You have to teach them that and tell them.”