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Den Helder () is a municipality and a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, in the province of
North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the
North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
peninsula. It is home to the country's main naval base. From here the Royal TESO ferryboat service operates the transportation link between Den Helder and the nearby Dutch
Wadden The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...
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 ( nl, Gouden Eeuw ) was a period in the history of the Netherlands, roughly spanning the era from 1588 (the birth of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (the Rampjaar, "Disaster Year"), in which Dutch trade, science, and art and ...
, 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 The Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland (or Anglo-Russian expedition to Holland, or Helder Expedition) was a military campaign from 27 August to 19 November 1799 during the War of the Second Coalition, in which an expeditionary force of British an ...
. During the 1820s, the
North Holland Canal The Noordhollandsch Kanaal ("Great North Holland Canal") is a canal originally meant for ocean-going ships. It is located in North Holland, Netherlands. The canal was of great significance in Dutch history. Location The canal is about 75 kil ...
was dug from
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
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, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...
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 Julianadorp, is a town in North Holland, Netherlands. It is part of the municipality of Den Helder. It lies about 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) south of the town of Den Helder, north of the municipality of Schagen and west of Hollands Kroon. His ...
, and the hamlets
Friese Buurt Friese Buurt is a hamlet in the Dutch province of North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrech ...
and De Kooy. The major areas of Den Helder are the Stad binnen de Linie (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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, 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

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 French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
, 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 ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...
'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.


Transport

The town is served by two railway stations: * Den Helder * 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 - 2 seats * PVV - 2 seats * Stadspartij Den Helder - 2 seats * Seniorenpartij - 2 seats * PvdA - 2 seats *
ChristenUnie The Christian Union ( nl, ChristenUnie, CU) is a Christian-democratic political party in the Netherlands. The CU is a centrist party, maintaining more progressive stances on economic, immigration and environmental issues while holding more socially ...
- 1 seat * Samen Actief Sr - 1 seat


Notable people


Public thinking & Public Service

* Frans van Anraat (born 1942), businessman, sold raw materials to produce chemical weapons to
Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutio ...
* Marleen Barth (born 1964), politician, trade union leader and journalist * Petrus Johannes Blok (1855–1929) a Dutch historian *
Edward W. Bok Edward William Bok (born Eduard Willem Gerard Cesar Hidde Bok) (October 9, 1863 – January 9, 1930) was a Dutch-born American editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. He was editor of the ''Ladies' Home Journal'' for 30 years (1889–1919). He ...
(1863-1930), Dutch-American editor,
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...
winner * Esther Welmoet Wijnaendts Francken-Dyserinck (1876-1956) a journalist, feminist and cofounder of Dutch Girl Guiding * Cornelis Giles (1675-1722), a navigator and cartographer *
Rijkman Groenink Rijkman Willem Johan Groenink (born 25 August 1949 in Den Helder) is a Dutch banker. He is best known as the CEO of the Dutch bank ABN AMRO at the time that the bank was sold to a consortium of banks. The consortium was led by the Royal Bank of ...
(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 th ...
(born 1946), physicist and academic, shared the 1999
Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
*
William Lonsdale William Lonsdale (9 September 1794 in Bath11 November 1871 in Bristol), English geologist and palaeontologist, won the Wollaston medal in 1846 for his research on the various kinds of fossil corals. Biography He was educated for the army and i ...
(1799-1864), soldier, colonialist, helped found
Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metr ...
* Theo de Meester (1851–1919) politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands 1905 to 1908 *
Ed Nijpels Eduardus Hermannus Theresia Maria Nijpels (born 1 April 1950) is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and nonprofit director. Nijpels studied Civil law at the Utrecht University obtaining a Master of Studies ...
(born 1950), former minister of Housing (1986–1989) and former mayor of
Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
*
Dorus Rijkers Theodorus "Dorus" Rijkers (27 January 1847 – 19 April 1928) was a famous Dutch lifeboat captain and folk hero, most famous for his sea rescues of 487 shipwrecked victims over a total of 38 rescue operations, and at least 25 before joining the l ...
(1847-1928), lifeboat captain and folk hero * Paul 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 IJf Blokker (born 2 September 1930) is a Dutch musician and television actor and presenter. After a professional career as a drummer, he became a well-known television actor in the 1970s playing the character Barend Servet in the Wim T. Schippers-d ...
(born 1930) a Dutch musician, TV actor and presenter IMDb Database
retrieved 10 December 2019 * Gré Brouwenstijn (1915-1999), opera singer *
Benjamin Feliksdal Benjamin Feliksdal (born 22 January 1940, in Den Helder) is a Dutch ballet dancer. He has danced as soloist and principal dancer with Het Nederlandse Ballet 1960, Het Nationale Ballet 1961/1971, and with the Royal Ballet of Flanders 1972/19 ...
(born 1940) a Dutch ballet dancer * Dick Ket (1902–1940) a Dutch magic realist painter of still lifes and self-portraits *
Hanco Kolk Hanco Kolk (born 11 March 1957, Den Helder) is a Dutch cartoonist and comics artist. He is best known for his collaborations with Peter de Wit, with who he made '' Gilles de Geus'' and ''S1NGLE' Kolk married author Isabelle Rosselin in 2016. B ...
(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 Quintino (Latin ''Quintinus'', from '' Quintus'') is a Latin-derived male given name meaning "the fifth". People * Quintino Bocaiúva - Brazilian journalist and politician * Quintino Vilas Boas Neto - Portuguese artist * Quintino de Lacerda - B ...
(born 1985) a Dutch DJ


Sport

* Jorina Baars (born 1988) a Dutch female kickboxing Thai fighter * Edith Bosch (born 1980), Judo world champion and Olympic silver and bronze medalist *
Anthonij Guépin Anthonij Johannes Guépin (2 May 1897 – 16 August 1964) was a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. With helmsman Joop Carp and fellow crew member Jan Vreede, crewing ...
(1897–1964) a sailor and bronze medallist at the
1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The o ...
* 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 and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
* 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 also 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 sec ...
*
Chima Onyeike Chima Michail Onyeike (born 21 June 1975) is a Dutch football coach and former professional player. Early and personal life Onyeike was born in Zeist, Netherlands; his father is Nigerian. His brother Obi is also a footballer; both brothers have p ...
(born 1975), Dutch
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
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 sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB S ...
* Hans Smits (born 1956), water polo player, bronze medallist at the
1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...
* 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, rugb ...
with 370 club caps, plays for
ONS Boso Sneek ONS BOSO Sneek is a Dutch football club from Sneek, playing in the Derde Divisie. Club history 20th century: Foundation and move Oranje Nassau Sneek was founded on 4 April 1932 and initially played its matches at the Sportpark Leeuwarderweg. In ...
. * Sieme Zijm (born 1978) a former Dutch footballer with over 300 club caps


In popular culture

The
Frank Boeijen Franciscus Johannes Maria (Frank) Boeijen (born 27 November 1957 in Nijmegen) is a Dutch singer and guitarist. His best known songs are ''Kronenburg Park (Ga die Wereld Uit)'' about a prostitute, ''Zwart Wit'' about the racial murder of Kerwin ...
Groep song ''Haast (rust roest)'' contains the line " s avonds in Den Helder''". (English- In the evening in Den Helder) The
Rob de Nijs Rob de Nijs (born 26 December 1942) is a Dutch singer and actor, active since the 1960s. Biography 1962–1968 De Nijs, backed by The Lords, won a talent-contest in 1962 and released his first single in 1962, " Ritme van de Regen". In 1965 D ...
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