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Heiloo

Heiloo
Municipality
Heiloo town centre
Heiloo town centre
Coat of arms of Heiloo
Coat of arms
Highlighted position of Heiloo in a municipal map of North Holland
Location in North Holland
Coordinates: 52°36′N 4°43′E / 52.600°N 4.717°E / 52.600; 4.717Coordinates: 52°36′N 4°43′E / 52.600°N 4.717°E / 52.600; 4.717
Country Netherlands
Province North Holland
Government
 • Body Municipal council
 • Mayor Hans Romeyn (CDA)
Area
 • Total 19.01 km2 (7.34 sq mi)
 • Land 18.71 km2 (7.22 sq mi)
 • Water 0.30 km2 (0.12 sq mi)
Elevation 3 m (10 ft)
Population (May 2014)
 • Total 22,620
 • Density 1,209/km2 (3,130/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Heilooënaar, Heilooër
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode 1850–1852
Area code 072
Website www.heiloo.nl

Heiloo (About this sound pronunciation ) is a municipality and town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The community is part of the cooperation region Kennemerland and is located in the historical region of West Friesland. Heiloo had a population of 22,620 in 2014.

Heiloo (From the Dutch heilige loo, "sacred height") was given its name because Saint Willibrord was said to have performed a miracle there around 690 and created a church on a small hill.

It has a town hall dating from 1926 and a church from the 12th century known as the Witte Kerk. In the late Middle Ages, after a miracle, a Marian shrine came into being for Our Lady to Need (Onze Lieve Vrouwe ter Nood). The chapel was destroyed during the Reformation, however the pilgrimage started to flourish again when in the seventeenth century a source with miraculous water started to sprout. The Marian sanctuary, situated outside the village in a so called procession park, is one of the major pilgrimage destinations in the Netherlands, attracting pilgrims mainly from the diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam. In the 1950s and 1960s the population grew quickly as many residents of Amsterdam moved to the area. Many residents work and attend school in the neighbouring city of Alkmaar.

The municipal council of Heiloo consists of 19 seats, which are divided as follows:

Current mayor: T.J. Romeyn (CDA)

Heiloo is connected to the Dutch railway network by Heiloo railway station. From this station there are many destinations available such as: Alkmaar, Hoorn, Uitgeest, Zaandam, Amsterdam, Utrecht, 's-Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven, The Hague, Weert, Roermond, Maastricht and Heerlen. For the Zaanse Schans, you should travel to Uitgeest and change onto a train to Koog-Zaandijk


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