Museum harbor Willemsoord
The Museumshafen Willemsoord ( Dutch Museumshaven Willemsoord ) also called Alte Reichswerft Willemsoord (Dutch Oude Rijkswerf Willemsoord ) is a former port and shipyard of the Dutch Royal Navy in the city of Den Helder in North Holland . Today the 40 hectare facility is used as a location for various museums and leisure facilities and as a marina . Historical ships are also repaired here. The museum harbor is one of the tourist attractions in North Holland.
history
The history of the shipyard, which is closely linked to the history of Den Helders, dates back to the occupation of Holland by troops of the First French Republic in the late 18th century.
prehistory
After the attack by a Russian-English army on the French occupiers in 1799 - four years after the founding of the Batavian Republic - near the village of Groote Keeten on the south side of the North Holland peninsula, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to build a fortress on the northern tip of the peninsula . Under the engineer Jan Blanken a draft for a line of fortifications was drawn up, which also contained the construction of a secure harbor with shipyard. The then sparsely populated area seemed to Napoleon as a base for a "Gibraltar of the North". In 1812 he accepted Blanken's plans. However, he did not live to see this project being carried out, and the Netherlands gained independence as early as 1813.
Client King Willem I.
On behalf of the new King Willem I , the plans were revised, with the size of the fortifications being drastically reduced. Work on the port and shipyard began in 1813. In 1816 the construction of the Noordhollandsch Canal (also planned by Jan Blanken) began. In the future, this canal should also enable large ships to pass through to Amsterdam . A total of around 4,000 workers were deployed to build the fortifications and port facilities.
The first structural elements in Willemsoord were completed in 1822: the port itself, a dry dock , a sea lock ("Zeedoksluis"), the steam pump house and the shipyard canal. The port was opened, it was the most modern in Europe. In 1827 the facility was complete. The buildings were built in the classical style. The shipyard got its name after its builder.
Second construction phase
From 1857 to 1866 there was another construction phase. A second dry dock was built and a new pumping station was built. At that time, the town of Den Helder grew around the naval port - at that time the largest employer in the region. Young people were trained in the port with a takeover guarantee. In the first half of the 20th century, the machine bench workshop (building 60F), the boiler shop (building 63), the ship's workshop (building 51), the boot and sail maker workshop (building 72) and warehouses for weapons and ammunition were built and provisions. A steam engine shed was also built.
Second World War
Willemsoord was badly damaged during the Second World War . Since the German occupiers used the port, there were multiple bombings by the Allies ; Den Helder was one of the few cities in the Netherlands that were bombed. Facilities and buildings were partially destroyed in the attacks. The old steam engine building (Building 47) had been used by the Wehrmacht as a command post, as it had the most massive walls and a water reservoir that could be used as a shelter. The roof was reinforced with a reinforced concrete ceiling, doors and windows were largely walled up. In the 1970s the building was renovated and attempts were made to largely restore it to its original state.
post war period
In 1947, the Dutch Ministry of Defense decided to develop Den Helder into the country's most important naval base. The direct connection to the sea, the strategic proximity to the most important shipping routes in the North Sea and the presence of a large naval shipyard were decisive. Since 1947 the official center for all national fleet operations has also been established here. From 1947 the reconstruction of the old port in Den Helder, which was to serve as a repair yard in the future, as well as the construction of a new port ("Nieuwe Haven") began. Up to 2500 people found work in the shipyards.
From 1993 onwards, the “Nieuwe Haven” also took over the maintenance tasks previously carried out on Willemsoord for the Royal Navy.
The fire of the "Prins Willem"
In the summer of 2009 a replica of the East Indiaman “Prins Willem” burned in one of the Willemsoorder dry docks . The original - named after William of Orange - was built in Middelburg in 1650 as an armed merchant ship and first set sail for Batavia in May 1651 . It was the flagship of the Dutch East India Company and was upgraded to a warship shortly after her maiden voyage . The "Prins Willem" took part in the sea battle at Kentish Knock and sank in a heavy storm near Madagascar in February 1662 .
The replica of the ship was built in 1984 at a shipyard in Makkum . Like the original, it was 68 meters long and 14 meters wide. For many years it stood in the “Holland Village” open-air museum in Nagasaki, Japan . In 2003 she was transferred to Den Helder. The ship belonged to the company Libéma and should be part of an amusement park to be built in Willemsoord. In July 2009, a fire broke out that, despite the efforts of the fire brigade, could no longer be extinguished. The ship burned down in a controlled manner.
The museum harbor today
After the shipyard activities in Willemsoord were closed, the facility was no longer used. In the late 1990s, the Dutch amusement park operator Libéma tried unsuccessfully to convert Willemsoord into an amusement park under the “Cape Holland” brand . When the project failed, the city council of Den Helder decided to develop the historic area into a tourist attraction. In 2007 there was a restructuring of the ownership structure - the municipality took over the previous owner companies Cape Holland Vastgoed BV and Cape Holland Exploitatie BV ; since then, the area has belonged to the municipality of Den Helder, which operates around half of the facility itself, while the other half is administered by the royal navy. The originally calculated investment and financing plan could not be adhered to. In 2011 it became known that the start-up losses had been higher and the subsidies lower than planned. In 2012, too, the municipality expects losses from the project.
Museums
The navy operates the modern Den Helder naval museum in its part of the facility . In addition to an extensive exhibition that extends over several buildings and includes a submarine jacked up on land, the museum also uses the northern part of the inner harbor; Two historical warships are located here - the ramming ship “Schorpioen” (built in 1868) and the minesweeper “Abraham Crijnssen” (built in 1936), which can be visited. Another historic anti-mine vehicle , the HNLMS “Hoogeveen” (M 827), is located in the outer harbor canal that surrounds the entire site .
Another museum in Willemsoord is the Dorus Rijkers Lifeboat Museum , which is dedicated to the history of Dutch sea rescue and maritime safety. Also belonging to this museum are some historical boats lying in the outer harbor of the complex, with which harbor tours are carried out.
In the outer harbor there are other museum ships, in addition to the lightship “Texel” (No. 10) , which was commissioned in 1952 , mainly old steam tugs like the “Y 8122” (built in 1936) and various coastal and river sailors like the Ransdorp 28 “Vrouwe Elisabeth” .
Marina and amusement facilities
The inner harbor of Willemsoord ("Marina") is now used primarily as a landing stage and berth for private yachts. Boat crews can be provided with the services they need here. Ship repair companies are increasingly setting up in the old buildings.
Cafes, restaurants and small shops have moved into other buildings in the former naval shipyard. A modern children's playground has been installed in one of the largest halls in the facility, right next to the rescue museum. In addition, Willemsoord now has an ice rink, bowling center, family entertainment center, casino, cinema, sports facilities and an event center.
Views of the entire system
Historical building on the north side of the site used by the Naval Museum
The bow of the “Tonijn” submarine (built in 1966) at the Naval Museum
The rescue museum with the “Prins Willem” in front from 1951
Building 60 - the former mast-making shop - with coastal and river sailors in front of it
Old shipyard hall, today a modern indoor children's playground
The old steam engine building on the west side
Modern hall in the east of the site
Lightship "Texel" in the museum harbor
The port and river tugboat "Berkel" built in 1956
The M 827 mine clearer in the outer harbor
.JPG)
References and comments
- ↑ according to Information Inval van Engelsen en Russen in 1799 nabij Groote Keeten at Callantsoogstrand.nl (in Dutch)
- ↑ Jan Blanken (1755-1838) was a Dutch hydraulic engineer
- ↑ The importance of the Noordhollandsch Kanaals only ended in 1876 with the opening of the North Sea Canal
- ↑ At the beginning of the last century, the government closed the naval shipyard in Amsterdam. In the thirties, the abandonment of the naval port in Hellevoetsluis followed. Their employees had moved to Den Helder in large numbers
- ↑ according to Article "Prins Willem" - a robbery of the flames from July 30th, 2009 in the Hamburger Abendblatt
- ↑ according to Willemsoord full in handen van gemeente Den Helder ( Memento of the original of May 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at DenHelder.nl from March 29, 2007 (in Dutch)
- ↑ according to Ronald Boutkan, Miljoenentekort op exploitatie Willemsoord ( Memento of the original from June 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: Den Helder Actueel of April 8, 2011 (in Dutch)
Web links
- Website of the port
- History of the port facilities of Den Helder with some historical photos (in Dutch)
- Lightship "Texel"
- Steam tug "Y8122"
Coordinates: 52 ° 57 ′ 40 ″ N , 4 ° 46 ′ 16 ″ E