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.
The
Royal TESO ferryboat service operates the transporatation link between Den Helder and the nearby Dutch
Wadden island of
Texel to the north.
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 Old Den Helder, Nieuw-Den Helder, and De Schooten. Nieuw-Den Helder was built in the 1950s, following
World War II, when there was a great need for additional housing. De Schooten was constructed in the 1960s.
History
Huisduinen was the original older part of the city, whereas Helder itself was a nearby smaller hamlet. Due to its strategic location at the tip of the North Holland peninsula, multiple fortifications were built in the area. The area likely began being called
Helledore ("Hell's Door" or "Hell's Gate", later on Den Helsdeur) because of the "hellish" fortifications that prevented enemy ships from sailing into the
Zuyderzee. The name Helder may also have come from
Helle/Helde, which means hill or hilly grounds, or from
Helre, which means a sandy ridge.
Den Helder has played an important part in Dutch shipping. During the
Dutch Golden Age, ships would be assembled near Den Helder and sail from there the world's oceans. During the 1820s, the
North Holland Canal was dug from
Amsterdam to Den Helder. The lighthouse
Lange Jaap was built in 1877 and is the tallest cast-iron lighthouse in Europe, at .
Naval base
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 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'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.
Geography and climate
Den Helder is located on the tip of a lowland peninsula jutting out into the
North Sea Because of this, Den Helder's climate is heavily moderated by the maritime environment.
Den Helder is also the sunniest city in the Netherlands.
Transportation
The town is served by two stations
Local government
The municipal council of Den Helder consists of 31 seats, which are divided as follows:
- Progressief Den Helder - 2 seats
- Stadspartij Den Helder - 2 seats
Notable people born in Den Helder
- Ed Nijpels (1950), former minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (1986-1989) and former mayor of Breda
- Edith Bosch (1980), Judo world champion and Olympic silver and bronze medalist
Film shot in Den Helder
- 2008: Den Helder, directed by Jorien Van Nes, (entirely shot on location).
