Katwijk aan Zee (literally, Katwijk-on-Sea) is a seaside resort located on the North Sea at the mouth of the Oude Rijn.

After the Romans left the settlement was abandoned and the area largely depopulated, except for small, isolated groups of Frisians ekeing out a living along the changing coast.

In 1520 a Roman ruin known as Brittenburg emerged from the shifting sands on the beach just south of the mouth of the Oude Rijn, much to everyone's astonishment.

Although fishing is not a major activity in the village today and many of the inhabitants are nowadays secular, the old traditions still survive in many ways.

The shore and the entrance to the canal were also strengthened by dikes During World War II, most of the buildings of Katwijk aan Zee were demolished by the Germans to make way for the Atlantic Wall.

Since the 20th century, Katwijk aan Zee is a popular seaside resorts and the village grew explosively.

The first known picture was from the famous Haalem painter Jacob van Ruisdael,[3] its title is The view of the tower of Katwijk.

There are such famous artists like David Adolphe Constant Artz,[5] Bernard Blommers,[6] Eugéne Dücker,[7] Thomas Bush Hardy,[8] Jozef Israëls,[9] Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek,[10] Max Liebermann, Jan Toorop[11] and Jan Hillebrand Wijsmuller.

[12] Katwijk aan Zee is the landing place for a large number of international and intercontinental Transatlantic telephone cables such as the TAT-14.

Katwijk aan Zee is the home town of Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt, a retired professional football player who has played for FC Utrecht, Feyenoord, Liverpool F.C.