Haamstede is a village on the island (and part of the municipality) Schouwen-Duivenland. It is located against the village of Burgh, which is called Burgh-Haamstede. The village lies mostly behind the dunes in the most western part of Schouwen-Duiveland. The beaches and dunes are famous by tourists, as well as the lighthouse, West Schouwen. Together with Renesse, Haamstede is the most touristy part of Schouwen-Duiveland. It has all the elements for a fun getaway.
The village was inhabited before Roman times. One of the attractions is Slot Haamstede, with the most famous inhabitant of Witte van Haemstede, a bastard son of Count Floris V. Several parts of Slot Haamstede are registered as one of the 35 national monuments that belong to the village of Haamstede. Other national monuments include the Graanhalm, Johannes the Doperkerk, the Westerlich Tower, the Plump Tower and various archaeological sites and castles.
From the beginning of the 20th century tourism became an increasingly important source of income for the village. In the 60's and 70's, mass tourism grew and created campsites and tourism facilities everywhere. At the same time, it became clear that the present nature had to be protected, something that was well taken care of by the State Forestry and later also Nature Monuments. Nowadays large parts of the dune landscape are protected and (almost) no longer accessible to the public.
Regularly changing exhibitions are held at the Bewaerschool (a former school). Furthermore, Haamstede has a cozy village center that has a lot to offer to both hospitality and tourism.
