Hellevoetsluis (population: 40,164 in 2004) is a town and municipality on
Voorne-Puttenthumb|225px|right|Satellite image of the [[Rhine]]-[[Meuse river|Meuse]] [[river delta|delta]], showing the island of Voorne-Putten Voorne-Putten is an island between the North Sea, the Brielse meer and the rivers Oude Maas, Spui and Haringvliet in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands...
Island in the western
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
, in the province of
South HollandSouth Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.-History:...
. The municipality covers an area of 46.14 km² (17.81 mile²) of which 14.57 km² (5.63 mile²) is water and it includes the population centres
Nieuw-HelvoetNieuw-Helvoet is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is now a neighbourhood in the north of the town of Hellevoetsluis.Nieuw-Helvoet was a separate municipality until 1960, when it became part of Hellevoetsluis.-External links:*...
, and
NieuwenhoornNieuwenhoorn is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located in the municipality of Hellevoetsluis, about 3 km north of the city centre in the municipality of Binnenmaas....
, both former municipalities.
Hellevoetsluis is located on the
HaringvlietThe Haringvliet is a large inlet of the North Sea, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is an important estuary of the Rhine-Meuse delta.Near Numansdorp, the Hollands Diep splits into the Haringvliet and the Volkerak estuaries...
with the sea, beach and dunes close by, on the extreme southern edge of the Rijnmond and
EuropoortEuropoort is an area of the Port of Rotterdam and the adjoining industrial area in the Netherlands. Being situated at the mouth of the rivers Rhine and Meuse with the hinterland consisting of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and partly France, Europoort is by certain measurements the world's...
areas, close to the broad
ZeelandZeeland , also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg...
landscape.
Hellevoetsluis (population: 40,164 in 2004) is a town and municipality on
Voorne-Puttenthumb|225px|right|Satellite image of the [[Rhine]]-[[Meuse river|Meuse]] [[river delta|delta]], showing the island of Voorne-Putten Voorne-Putten is an island between the North Sea, the Brielse meer and the rivers Oude Maas, Spui and Haringvliet in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands...
Island in the western
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
, in the province of
South HollandSouth Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.-History:...
. The municipality covers an area of 46.14 km² (17.81 mile²) of which 14.57 km² (5.63 mile²) is water and it includes the population centres
Nieuw-HelvoetNieuw-Helvoet is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is now a neighbourhood in the north of the town of Hellevoetsluis.Nieuw-Helvoet was a separate municipality until 1960, when it became part of Hellevoetsluis.-External links:*...
, and
NieuwenhoornNieuwenhoorn is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located in the municipality of Hellevoetsluis, about 3 km north of the city centre in the municipality of Binnenmaas....
, both former municipalities.
Hellevoetsluis is located on the
HaringvlietThe Haringvliet is a large inlet of the North Sea, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is an important estuary of the Rhine-Meuse delta.Near Numansdorp, the Hollands Diep splits into the Haringvliet and the Volkerak estuaries...
with the sea, beach and dunes close by, on the extreme southern edge of the Rijnmond and
EuropoortEuropoort is an area of the Port of Rotterdam and the adjoining industrial area in the Netherlands. Being situated at the mouth of the rivers Rhine and Meuse with the hinterland consisting of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and partly France, Europoort is by certain measurements the world's...
areas, close to the broad
ZeelandZeeland , also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg...
landscape. The name translates as "
lockA lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the...
at the foot of the Helle". The Helle was a small local river which disappeared over time.
History
The history of Hellevoetsluis has always been connected with water. During the time of the
United ProvincesThe Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in about the same location as the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands,...
Hellevoetsluis was the naval port of the Admiralty of the Maas (
RotterdamRotterdam ; city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands. The municipality is the second largest in the country, with a population of 584,046 as of January 2007...
) and could accommodate an entire fleet within a special land-enclosed
fortressFortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defense in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
with harbour and dockyard facilities, accessible through a
canalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
. Thanks to its strategic situation the town grew from the beginning of the 17th century to be the homeport for the Dutch war fleet. In later years the port was fortified more and more and Hellevoetsluis therefore became a unique combination of fortified town and naval port. The
AdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above Vice Admiral and below Admiral of the Fleet/Fleet Admiral. It is usually abbreviated to "Adm." or "ADM"...
s
Maarten TrompMaarten Harpertszoon Tromp was an officer and later admiral in the Dutch navy. His first name is also spelled as Maerten.-Early life:...
,
Michiel de RuyterMichiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter is the most famous and one of the best admirals in Dutch history. De Ruyter is most famous for his role in the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 17th century. He fought the English and French in these wars and scored several major victories, the best known probably being the...
and Piet Heyn had their home base here and in 1688 during the
Glorious RevolutionThe Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of King James II of England in 1688 by a union of Parliamentarians with an invading army led by the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau who, as a result, ascended the English throne as William III of England...
William III of Orange's invasion fleet departed from the port.
The
Kanaal door Voorne (Canal through Voorne) was built in 1830 from Hellevoetsluis to Nieuwesluis (near
HeenvlietHeenvliet is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Bernisse, and lies about 7 km south of Maassluis, on the Brielse Maas.Heenvliet was a separate municipality until 1980, when it became part of Bernisse....
) and made Hellevoetsluis an outport of Rotterdam. It was a period when the town grew and flourished; the shipping industry provided prosperity.
In the first half of the 20th century, however, Hellevoetsluis went into decline. Ocean-going ships became too large to use the canal and the
Nieuwe WaterwegThe Nieuwe Waterweg is a ship canal in the Netherlands from het Scheur west of the town of Maassluis to the North Sea at Hook of Holland...
was dug, making the Canal through Voorne redundant. The naval base was relocated to
Den HelderDen Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
in the 1930s, the Government
shipyardShipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
was closed, and during World War II the Germans destroyed three quarters of all buildings in 1944. They also used the canal as a base for Biber submarines.
After World War II Hellevoetsluis grew considerably. As a New Town the population doubled in the 1970s. Today 43,000 inhabitants live in modern houses with abundant green areas nearby. It is home to many commuters working in
EuropoortEuropoort is an area of the Port of Rotterdam and the adjoining industrial area in the Netherlands. Being situated at the mouth of the rivers Rhine and Meuse with the hinterland consisting of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and partly France, Europoort is by certain measurements the world's...
or
RotterdamRotterdam ; city and municipality in the Dutch province of South Holland, situated in the west of the Netherlands. The municipality is the second largest in the country, with a population of 584,046 as of January 2007...
.
Facilities
Hellevoetsluis has many shops: in addition to the various small (community) shopping centres, there is the covered shopping centre
De Struytse Hoeck, which has over 120 shops and is partly built over the Canal through Voorne. Education up to secondary school level, a library, community centres, health care, modern facilities for water sport are all available. Following the construction of the Haringvliet locks, the Haringvliet is ideal water for surfing and sailing. There are also extensive mooring facilities. Close by are the beach and the dunes at Voorne, a nature reserve.
Water sports
Hellevoetsluis is one of the largest water sports centres in the country. There are 2,000 mooring places, spread over five harbours. With such a broad expanse of water as the Haringvliet and the
North SeaThe North Sea is a marginal, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf. The Dover Strait and the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north connect it to the Atlantic Ocean. It is more than long and wide, with an area of around...
close by, it is popular with water sports lovers and the Haringvliet is being used increasingly for national and international water sports events.
Entertainment
The old town centre, the fortress, has many terraces that look out upon the busy harbour and plenty of bars and restaurants serving 'international' food. There are also restaurants and bars outside the fortress. A children’s farm, a sailing school, a fitness centre, tennis courts, a sauna, etc, are nearby.
Events
In August the "Fortress Days" are held. A fleet of ships can also be seen and there is a large, varied fair, aeroplane demonstrations and a big firework display.
Every two years, the Dutch Classic Yacht Regatta is held in the harbour. A large number of classic, sharp
yachtA yacht is a high end recreational boat. It designates two rather different classes of watercraft, sailing and power boats. Yachts are different from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. It was not until the rise of the steamboat and other types of powerboat that sailing vessels in...
s can be seen.
Once a month there is a festival called "Bomvrij" (translated: bomb proof) named after the bunker it's held in (Bomvrij Hospitaal). The festival is for the punk, gothic and metalhead community. Every month there is a different band and a different theme.
Museums
There are excellently preserved fortifications in the fortress. A walking tour leads to historical buildings such as the lighthouse, the Prinsehuis, Corn Mill
De Hoop and a number of museums. The museum
Gesigt van 't Dok situated at Oostzanddijk contains a replica of 1834 of town, fortress and naval shipyard. This replica forms the heart of an exhibition on the development of Hellevoetsluis into a modern naval port at the beginning of the previous century.
The National Firefighting Museum, located in what used to be the Kuiperij and Grootmagazijn on Industriehaven, contains a rich collection ranging from the most primitive fire fighting equipment from centuries ago to the highly sophisticated equipment of today. Water buckets, fire hoses, water barrels, uniforms hand and steam engines, every device that marks a point in the history of fire fighting is represented.
In the
Oudheidkamer, also situated on the Industriehaven, there is a collection of items from daily life of the past two centuries. It includes items that relate to the past of Hellevoetsluis as naval port as well as agriculture-related articles.
The first
dry dockA drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
in the Netherlands dates from 1806, and it marked a revolutionary development in the history of shipbuilding and ship repair. The dry dock is still there and has become a major historical and industrial/archaeological monument.
External links