Den Helder () is a municipality and a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, in the province of

North Holland North Holland (, ) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht (province), Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevola ...

. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the

peninsula. It is home to the country's main

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

. From here the Royal TESO ferryboat service operates the transportation link between Den Helder and the nearby Dutch Wadden island of Texel to the north.

Etymology

Before the year 1928, the official name of Den Helder was Helder. The origin of the name Helder is not entirely clear. The name Helder may have come from ''Helle/Helde'', which means "hill" or "hilly grounds", or from ''Helre'', which means a sandy ridge. Another explanation is that the name derived from ''Helsdeur'' (Hell's Door), likely because in the water between Den Helder and Texel (called Marsdiep) the current was so strong that many ships were lost.

History

Huisduinen was the original older part of the city, whereas Helder itself was a nearby smaller hamlet. When a harbour was built near Helder the village began to grow and later became the seat of governance instead of Huisduinen. Due to its strategic location at the tip of the North Holland peninsula, multiple fortifications were built in the area. Den Helder has played an important part in Dutch shipping. During the

Dutch Golden Age The Dutch Golden Age ( ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the '' Rampjaar'' occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific development ...

, ships would be assembled near Den Helder and sail the world's oceans from there. On 23January 1795, the French captured 14 Dutch ships and 850 guns in the town's deep-frozen harbour. In 1799 the city was the target of the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland. During the 1820s, the North Holland Canal was dug from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

to Den Helder. The lighthouse '' Lange Jaap'' was built in 1877 and is the tallest cast-iron lighthouse in Europe, at . In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

most of the city was evacuated and the old city center was destroyed.

Geography

Climate

Den Helder is on the tip of a lowland peninsula jutting out into the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

Because of this, Den Helder's climate is heavily moderated by the maritime environment. Also, Den Helder is one of the sunniest cities in the Netherlands.

Population centres

The municipality of Den Helder consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Den Helder, Huisduinen, Julianadorp, and the hamlets Friese Buurt and De Kooy. The major areas of Den Helder are the Stad Binnen de Linie (a city within the city's defence line), Nieuw-Den Helder, and De Schooten. Nieuw-Den Helder was built in the 1950s, following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when there was a great need for additional housing. De Schooten was constructed in the 1960s.

Topography

''Dutch Topographic map of Den Helder (town), March 2014.''

Naval base and fortifications

Den Helder was the site of a naval base as early as the 18th century. An Anglo-Russian invasion force landed at Den Helder in August 1799 and captured the Batavian navy there (see Battle of Castricum). French emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Bonaparte, visiting Den Helder in 1811, was impressed with the town's strategic location and ordered the construction of a fort (Kijkduin) and naval dockyards (Willemsoord). The docks were built during the years 1813–1827. In 1947, it officially became the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

's main centre of operations. Den Helder continues to be the navy's main base today. The Royal Netherlands Naval College is also located in the city, as is the Dutch Navy Museum. The old naval dockyards of Willemsoord, located in the north of the city, now house restaurants, a cinema, and other recreational facilities. The naval docks and administration have been moved to a new location further east. The Fortifications of Den Helder, which protected the naval base and the entrance to the Noordhollandsch Kanaal significantly altered the landscape around Den Helder. A number of the old fortresses have now been repurposed for tourism and related industries and can be visited.

Transport

The town is served by two railway stations: *

Den Helder Den 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. It is home to the country's main naval base. From here the Royal TESO fe ...

* Den Helder Zuid (South Den Helder) Den Helder can be reached by these main roads: * N9 * N99 * N250 * N502 These roads all have only two lanes. There is no highway leading to Den Helder.

Local government

The municipal council of Den Helder consists of 31 seats, which are divided as follows as of the 2022 elections: * Behoorlijk Bestuur – 7 seats * Beter voor Den Helder – 4 seats * VVD – 3 seats * CDA – 3 seats * D66 – 2 seats *

GroenLinks (, ; GL) is a Green politics, green List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four Left-wing politics, left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Neth ...

– 2 seats * PVV – 2 seats * Stadspartij Den Helder – 2 seats * Seniorenpartij – 2 seats * PvdA – 2 seats * ChristenUnie – 1 seat * Samen Actief Sr – 1 seat

Notable people

Public thinking and public service

* Frans van Anraat (born 1942), businessman, sold raw materials to produce chemical weapons to

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

* Marleen Barth (born 1964), politician, trade union leader and journalist * Petrus Johannes Blok (1855–1929) a Dutch historian * Edward W. Bok (1863–1930), Dutch-American editor,

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winner * Esther Welmoet Wijnaendts Francken-Dyserinck (1876–1956) a journalist, feminist and co-founder of Dutch Girl Guiding * Cornelis Giles (1675–1722), a navigator and cartographer * Rijkman Groenink (born 1949), banker, CEO of ABN-Amro *

Gerard 't Hooft Gerardus "Gerard" 't Hooft (; born July 5, 1946) is a Dutch theoretical physicist and professor at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. He shared the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physics with his thesis advisor Martinus J. G. Veltman "for elucidating t ...

(born 1946), physicist and academic, shared the 1999

Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

* William Lonsdale (1799–1864), soldier, colonialist, helped found

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

* Theo de Meester (1851–1919) politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1905 to 1908 * Ed Nijpels (born 1950), former minister of Housing (1986–1989) and former mayor of

Breda Breda ( , , , ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. ...

* Dorus Rijkers (1847–1928), lifeboat captain and folk hero *

Paul Rosenmöller Paul Rosenmöller (born 11 May 1956) is a Dutch politician and former trade unionist and television presenter. Between 1989 and 2003, he was member of the Dutch House of Representatives for GroenLinks and was party leader from 1994. Rosenmöller ...

(born 1956), a TV presenter and former politician and trade unionist * René Schoof (born 1955), mathematician and academic in Rome * Aletta Stas-Bax (born 1965) an entrepreneur in Swiss watches and an author

The arts

* IJf Blokker (born 1930) a Dutch musician, TV actor, and presenter IMDb Database
retrieved 10 December 2019 * Gré Brouwenstijn (1915–1999), opera singer * Benjamin Feliksdal (born 1940) a Dutch ballet dancer * Dick Ket (1902–1940) a Dutch magic realist painter of still lifes and self-portraits * Hanco Kolk (born 1957) a Dutch cartoonist and comics artist * Anton Pieck (1895–1987), painter and graphic artist * Milly Scott (born 1933) a Dutch singer and actress of Surinamese origin * Quintino (born 1985) a Dutch DJ

Sport

Jorina Baars Jorina Baars (born 18 October 1988) is a Dutch female Muay Thai kickboxer, based in Den Helder, Netherlands. She has competed professionally since 2004 and is the current ISKA Welterweight World Muay Thai champion, Lion Fight Women's World W ...

(born 1988) a Dutch female kickboxing Thai fighter * Edith Bosch (born 1980), Judo world champion and Olympic silver and bronze medalist * Anthonij Guépin (1897—1964) a sailor and bronze medallist at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

* Erwin Koen (born 1978) a Dutch former footballer with over 300 club caps * Elien Meijer (born 1970) a retired rower, team silver medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Swen Nater (born 1950), basketball player * Martine Ohr (born 1964), field hockey striker, gold medallist at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

* Chima Onyeike (born 1975), Dutch

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former professional player, fitness coach for

VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V. (), commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German professional sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's Association football, football team is currently part of Germany's f ...

Hans Smits Hans Karel Daniël Smits (born January 24, 1956) is a former water polo player from The Netherlands, who won the bronze medal with the Dutch Men's Team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. See also * List of Olympic medalists ...

(born 1956), water polo player, bronze medallist at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

* Mark de Vries (born 1975), Dutch

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

with 370 club caps, plays for ONS Boso Sneek. * Sieme Zijm (born 1978) a former Dutch footballer with over 300 club caps

In popular culture

The Frank Boeijen Groep song ''Haast (rust roest)'' contains the line " s avonds in Den Helder''". (English- In the evening in Den Helder) The Rob de Nijs song ''Jan Klaassen de Trompetter'' contains the line "''hij marcheerde van Den Helder tot Den Briel''". (English- He marched from Den Helder to Den Briel).

References

External links

*
Official website
* {{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of North Holland Populated coastal places in the Netherlands Populated places in North Holland Port cities and towns of the North Sea