Den Helder
Den Helder | |
|---|---|
 Den Helder water tower in the village | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location in North Holland | |
| Coordinates:52°56′N4°45′E/ 52.933°N 4.750°E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | North Holland |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| •Mayor | Jan de Boer(D66) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 178.80 km2(69.04 sq mi) |
| • Land | 45.25 km2(17.47 sq mi) |
| • Water | 133.55 km2(51.56 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1 m (3 ft) |
| Population (December 2021)[4] | |
| • Total | 56,369 |
| • Density | 1,250/km2(3,200/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Heldernaar |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
| Postcode | 1780–1789 |
| Area code | 0223 |
| Website | www |
Den Helder(Dutch pronunciation:[dɛnˈɦɛldər]) is a municipality and acityin theNetherlands,in the province ofNorth Holland.Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of theNorth Hollandpeninsula. It is home to the country's mainnaval base. From here theRoyal TESOferryboat service operates the transportation link between Den Helder and the nearby DutchWaddenisland ofTexelto the north.
Etymology
[edit]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 fromHelle/Helde,which means "hill" or "hilly grounds", or fromHelre,which means a sandy ridge. Another explanation is that the name derived fromHelsdeur(Hell's Door), likely because in the water between Den Helder and Texel (calledMarsdiep) the current was so strong that many ships were lost.
History
[edit]
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 theDutch Golden Age,ships would be assembled near Den Helder and sail the world's oceans from there.
On 23January 1795,the French captured14 Dutch ships and 850 guns in the town's deep-frozen harbour.[5]In 1799 the city was the target of theAnglo-Russian invasion of Holland.
During the 1820s, theNorth Holland Canalwas dug fromAmsterdamto Den Helder. The lighthouseLange Jaapwas built in 1877 and is the tallest cast-iron lighthouse in Europe, at 63.45 meters (208.2 ft). In theSecond World Warmost of the city was evacuated and the old city center was destroyed.
Geography
[edit]Climate
[edit]Den Helder is on the tip of a lowland peninsula jutting out into theNorth SeaBecause 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.[6]
| Climate data forDe Kooy,Den Helder (1991-2020 normals, extremes 1906−present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.7 (56.7) |
17.2 (63.0) |
20.5 (68.9) |
27.9 (82.2) |
31.0 (87.8) |
31.7 (89.1) |
34.8 (94.6) |
33.8 (92.8) |
32.6 (90.7) |
25.1 (77.2) |
17.7 (63.9) |
15.3 (59.5) |
34.8 (94.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
6.2 (43.2) |
8.7 (47.7) |
12.4 (54.3) |
15.8 (60.4) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.8 (69.4) |
21.1 (70.0) |
18.3 (64.9) |
14.3 (57.7) |
10.0 (50.0) |
7.0 (44.6) |
13.3 (55.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) |
3.9 (39.0) |
5.9 (42.6) |
9.0 (48.2) |
12.4 (54.3) |
15.2 (59.4) |
17.5 (63.5) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.4 (59.7) |
11.6 (52.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
5.0 (41.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) |
1.4 (34.5) |
3.0 (37.4) |
5.5 (41.9) |
9.0 (48.2) |
11.8 (53.2) |
14.1 (57.4) |
14.4 (57.9) |
12.1 (53.8) |
8.7 (47.7) |
5.2 (41.4) |
2.6 (36.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −18.8 (−1.8) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
4.2 (39.6) |
3.9 (39.0) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−11.9 (10.6) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−20.0 (−4.0) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 65.6 (2.58) |
50.1 (1.97) |
43.7 (1.72) |
34.9 (1.37) |
42.0 (1.65) |
58.7 (2.31) |
62.5 (2.46) |
89.1 (3.51) |
84.7 (3.33) |
96.5 (3.80) |
83.5 (3.29) |
75.3 (2.96) |
786.6 (30.97) |
| Averagerelative humidity(%) | 87.8 | 86.3 | 83.9 | 80.5 | 79.0 | 79.1 | 79.4 | 79.1 | 81.2 | 83.3 | 86.6 | 87.5 | 82.8 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 70.2 | 97.8 | 155.7 | 214.5 | 246.6 | 230.4 | 240.5 | 219.7 | 161.2 | 122.1 | 68.5 | 60.6 | 1,887.8 |
| Percentpossible sunshine | 27.6 | 35.0 | 42.2 | 51.3 | 50.4 | 45.7 | 47.4 | 48.0 | 42.2 | 36.9 | 26.0 | 25.5 | 39.8 |
| Source:Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute[7][8] | |||||||||||||
Population centres
[edit]The municipality of Den Helder consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Den Helder,Huisduinen,Julianadorp,and the hamletsFriese BuurtandDe 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, followingWorld War II,when there was a great need for additional housing. De Schooten was constructed in the 1960s.
Topography
[edit]
Dutch Topographic map of Den Helder (town), March 2014.
Naval base and fortifications
[edit]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 theBataviannavy there (seeBattle of Castricum).FrenchemperorNapoleonBonaparte, 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 theRoyal Netherlands Navy'smain centre of operations.Den Helder continues to be the navy's main base today. TheRoyal Netherlands Naval Collegeis also located in the city, as is theDutch Navy Museum.
The old naval dockyards ofWillemsoord,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.
TheFortifications of Den Helder,which protected the naval base and the entrance to theNoordhollandsch Kanaalsignificantly 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
[edit]
The town is served by two railway stations:
Den Helder can be reached by these main roads:
These roads all have only two lanes. There is no highway leading to Den Helder.
Local government
[edit]The municipal council of Den Helder consists of 31 seats, which are divided as follows as of the2022 elections:[9]
- 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– 1 seat
- Samen Actief Sr – 1 seat
Notable people
[edit]
Public thinking & public service
[edit]- Frans van Anraat(born 1942), businessman, sold raw materials to produce chemical weapons toSaddam Hussein
- 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 Prizewinner
- 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(born 1949), banker, CEO ofABN-Amro
- Gerard 't Hooft(born 1946), physicist and academic, shared the 1999Nobel Prize in Physics
- William Lonsdale(1799-1864), soldier, colonialist, helped foundMelbourne, Australia
- Theo de Meester(1851–1919) politician,Prime Minister of the Netherlands1905 to 1908
- Ed Nijpels(born 1950), former minister of Housing (1986–1989) and former mayor ofBreda
- Dorus Rijkers(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
[edit]
- IJf Blokker(born 1930) a Dutch musician, TV actor and presenter[10]
- 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
[edit]
- Jorina Baars(born 1988) a Dutch female kickbo xing 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 the1924 Summer Olympics
- Erwin Koen(born 1978) a Dutch former footballer with over 300 club caps
- Elien Meijer(born 1970) a retired rower, team silver medallist at the2000 Summer Olympics
- Swen Nater(born 1950), basketball player
- Martine Ohr(born 1964), field hockey striker, gold medallist at the1984 Summer Olympics
- Chima Onyeike(born 1975), Dutchfootballcoach and former professional player, fitness coach forVfB Stuttgart
- Hans Smits(born 1956), water polo player, bronze medallist at the1976 Summer Olympics
- Mark de Vries(born 1975), Dutchfootballerwith 370 club caps, plays forONS Boso Sneek.
- Sieme Zijm(born 1978) a former Dutch footballer with over 300 club caps
In popular culture
[edit]TheFrank BoeijenGroep songHaast (rust roest)contains the line "'s avonds in Den Helder".(English- In the evening in Den Helder) TheRob de NijssongJan Klaassen de Trompettercontains the line "hij marcheerde van Den Helder tot Den Briel".(English- He marched from Den Helder to Den Briel).
References
[edit]- ^"Samenstelling college"[Members of the board] (in Dutch). Gemeente Den Helder. Archived fromthe originalon 2 March 2014.Retrieved26 February2014.
- ^"Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2020"[Key figures for neighbourhoods 2020].StatLine(in Dutch).CBS.24 July 2020.Retrieved19 September2020.
- ^"Postcodetool for 1784MC".Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland(in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis.Retrieved26 February2014.
- ^"Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand"[Population growth; regions per month].CBS Statline(in Dutch).CBS.1 January 2021.Retrieved2 January2022.
- ^Tony Jaques,Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: P-Z,p.1009
- ^(Dutch) Climate table, per station.KNMI.nl, retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^"Weerstatistieken De Kooy".Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.Retrieved24 June2022.
- ^"Klimaatviewer 1991-2020".Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.Retrieved24 June2022.
- ^"Gemeenteraad 16 maart 2022".
- ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 10 December 2019
External links
[edit]
Media related toDen Helderat Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- .The American Cyclopædia.1879.
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