Above: Destruction of the original Water Tower in 1943

On 17 September 1943 the Zandvoort Water Tower was blown up by the occupying German army by means of 12 explosive charges!

After the war, on the highest point within the developed area, a new water tower with viewing possibilities was built. The 48 metre high tower was erected in 1952 from a design by J. Zietsma and was located to the south of the village on the site of the former Haarlems Kinderhuis. It was originally conceived as a round tower but ended up being an octagonal shape. The original water tower had been made entirely of reinforced concrete, but the new one was built with a brick façade on a concrete shell. At its summit, a café-restaurant for many years commanded a lovely view over the surrounding area until it closed in the 1990s.

View a 1980s postcard of the Water Tower Restaurant on top of the present water tower