Den Helder
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| Den Helder | |
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| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | North Holland |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 178.83 km² |
| - Land | 45.41 km² |
| - Water | 133.42 km² |
| Population (2005) | 60,026 |
| - Density | 1,321/km² |
| Mayor | G.H. Faber (PvdA) |
| Website | www.denhelder.nl |
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. Ferries sail between Den Helder and the island of Texel to the north.
The major areas of Den Helder are old Den Helder, Nieuw-Den Helder, and De Schoten. Nieuw-Den Helder was built in the 1950s, following World War II, when there was a great need for additional housing. De Schoten was constructed in the 1960s.
The fishing village of Huisduinen, founded around the year 1500, eventually grew into the city of Den Helder of today. Due to its strategic location at the tip of the North Holland peninsula, multiple fortifications were built in the area. The area began to be called Den Helsdeur ("Gate to hell"), because of the "hellish" fortifications that prevented enemy ships from sailing into the Zuyderzee. This name was eventually shortened to Den Helder.
Den Helder has played an important part in Dutch shipping. During the Dutch Golden Age, ships would assemble near Den Helder and sail from there to the oceans of the world. In the 1820s, the Noordhollandsch Kanaal shipping 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 63.45 metres.
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[edit] Naval base
Den Helder acted as 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, 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 in 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 Koninklijk Instituut Marine (Royal Naval Academy) is also located in the city.
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 moved to a new location further east.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Local government
The municipal council of Den Helder consists of 31 seats, which are divided as follows:
- PvdA - 8 seats
- VVD - 6 seats
- CDA - 4 seats
- Progresdief Den Helder 3 seats
- Stadspartij Den Helder - 2 seats
- ChristenUnie - 2 seats
- D66 - 2 seats
- SP -1 seat
- GroenLinks - 1 seats
- Lijst Prins - 1 seat
- KiesKees - 1 seat
[edit] Notable people born in Den Helder
- Edward W. Bok (1863), Dutch-American editor, Pulitzer Prize winner
- Anton Pieck (1895), Dutch painter and graphic artist
- Gré Brouwenstijn (1915), Dutch opera singer
- Frans van Anraat (1942), Dutch businessman, sold raw materials for the production of chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein
- Gerardus 't Hooft (1946), physician, 1999 Nobel Prize winner
- Swen Nater (1950), Dutch basketball player
- Paul Rosenmöller (1956), politician and journalist, former leader of the Groenlinks party
- Hans Smits (1956), Dutch water polo player
- Martine Ohr (1964), Dutch field hockey striker
[edit] References
- Statistics are taken from the SDU Staatscourant
