Maassluis and the water

Maassluis has a history as a fishing port and then as a tugboat town.
Icons of this can be found in various places in Maassluis. At the end of the walk we definitely recommend a visit to the inner harbor, where you can see, among other things, the steam tug"Furie\\\" and the museum ship De Hudson.
The Fury played an important role in the book and film "Hollands Glorie" and the Hudson played a very important role in the Second World War.
In the outer harbor you will see several tugboats and the training ship of the sea cadets, MS de Rigel. This ship has a turbulent history as a trawler, anti-aircraft ship during the war and later as a pilot boat.
The sea tug Elbe is moored in front of the hotel.
This ship entered service in 1959 as a sea tug, after which she sailed as a pilot boat and from 1985 to 2001 she sailed the oceans as a Greenpeace action ship.
It was then restored to its original state and is now used as a sailing monument. You can spend the night in the Elbe with a group or take a boat trip.

Start at Hotel Maassluis
Hotel Maassluis serves delicious coffee and from the conservatory you have a beautiful view of the Nieuwe Waterweg. Maybe you'll take some time to do this.

From 1879 onwards, Hotel Maassluis housed the Pilotage Service and the company L.Smit & Co, known for its tugboats all over the world. If you look up at the entrance, you will see beautiful details from the past, including the sea god Neptune.
The building bears even more maritime decorations on the outside,
but the towage history of Maassluis can also be found in the hotel.
Every weekend there is a small exhibition in the Douanehuisje by a guest artist. Next to the Customs House you will find the artwork of the ship's crew. The three figures symbolize fishing, ship salvage and sea towing. Over the centuries, many people from Maassluis have lost their lives at sea while performing their work.

At the statue, turn right and follow the Koning Willem Alexander Boulevard, which runs along the Nieuwe Waterweg, or the Scheur, as this part is actually called. Next to the image are the letters that together form the word"Maassluis\\\". We invite you to take an original photo here and send it to welkom@ervaarmaassluis.nl

The Nieuwe Waterweg is the last part of the connection between Rotterdam and the sea and was established in 1872.
If you follow the Boulevard, you will also pass the "het Balkon" district, where new houses are still being built. A lot of attention has also been paid to the decoration of the neighborhood, with the viewpoint in the shape of the bow of a ship and the street names all have a connection with fishing and towing.

The longest poem in the Netherlands is on nine plates with one line of poetry. The first letters of this form the word Maassluis..
At the end of this district you will pass the large nature playground of Maassluis"Avonturis,\\\"
This is a playground for young and old, where natural elements such as tree trunks, hills and streams form the basis for all kinds of fun.

Continue to follow the boulevard all the way until you reach Poortershaven.
There you cross the metro rails and continue your way via the Schenkelsdijk, past the riding school, where you can turn right to walk via the small park and the sports fields to the Dr. Albert Schweitzerdreef.
Here you turn left and follow this road until you reach the Maasdijk/Westlandseweg. Cross here and at the bottom of the dike turn right onto the cycle/walking path called Weverskade.

You will find several historic farms on the Weverskade. This is also the basis for Lely Industries, a company of which Maassluis is proud, because of the name they have built up in the development of agricultural machines.
This part of Maassluis borders Midden Delfland, a special provincial landscape, where it is also wonderful to walk.
The Maassluis Historical Association organizes extensive organized walks along the Weverskade, where they tell more about the history of this part of Maassluis.
Halfway along the Weverskade you will see the special Roman Catholic Peter and Paul Church on the right; with the separate"bell tower\\\".
From the Westlandseweg, this building looks a bit like the opera house in Sydney.
In front of the church you will find a statue of the Maassluise Artist Dick Tulp, one of the artists you can find in Maassluis.

The new Wilgenrijk district is being built on your left. If you want to walk a little extra, go into the neighborhood and here you can also find the sheepfold. Then you come back to this point.
At the end of the Weverskade, turn right until you reach the dike at the bottom of the Westlandseweg. You go up the dike and cross the Westland road and continue to the Noorddijk.

In the center, this Noorddijk turns into the Hoogstraat and was constructed on the medieval connecting road between Hoek van Holland and Rotterdam, the Maasdijk. This also formed the dike between the Scheur and the hinterland.
On the Noorddijk, turn left and walk all the way down until you reach the Veerstraat, at the steps of the Monstersche Sluis.
The Monstersche Sluis plays an important role in the history of Maassluis.
According to tradition, it is around this lock that the city was founded. In 1343 there were two huts made of reed and clay here.
At the top of the dike you have a beautiful view of one of the historic canals that Maassluis has. In the Middle Ages, three canals were dug to discharge excess water into the Meuse through sluices. People settled near the locks and this became Maeslantsluys, now known as Maassluis.
After 50 years, with donations and provincial support, the Monstersche Sluis has been restored to its former glory and is also navigable, which is fun to do. You can also take beautiful boat trips from Maassluis to Midden Delfland.
The stairs were donated to the city by the well-known Maassluise shipowner Govert van Wijn, who also donated the large and well-known Garrels organ in the Groote Kerk to the residents of Maassluis and played an important role in the care of the orphans in the old orphanage in Maassluis .

At the Monstersche Sluis you can turn right to visit the Groote Kerk of Maassluis, but you can also go straight ahead on the Hoogstraat until the Wip (on your left).
You can make an extra trip to the Schanseiland, where you will get a beautiful view of the Stadhuiskade with the steam tug Furie.

The Stadshuiskade is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful pictures of Maassluis.
The first house is the Coppelstock house.
Veerman Coppelstock played an important role in the capture of Den Briel on April 1, 1572.
In the middle of the quay is the Delfland Community House. This used to be the base for guarding the Maasdijk, as a lock keeper's house and as a meeting room.
The building is now owned by the Hendrick de Keyzer Association and it is possible to spend the night there.
The last house in the row was built in 1676 and is now the National Towing Museum.
It was originally built as a town hall. The museum has been located here since 1979 and is definitely worth a visit. As the name suggests, the National Towage Museum contains the history of national towage.
In the harbor basin you can visit the steam tug Furie and the sea tug Hudson on Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. Sea tug Hudson, launched in 1939, is a Museum Ship and houses

an exhibition about the history of towing in the years'40-\\\'45.

You will find the booklet at Ervaar Maassluis and at various places in Maassluis
"Maassluis Maritiem\\\", with more details about all ships
the port of Maassluis.

The Groote Kerk of Maassluis was built on the Schanseiland, which used to be an important defensive fortress in the Eighty Years' War against the Spanish.
The church was built between 1629 and 1639 with tax money from the herring fishery. The Groote Kerk was so called because Maassluis already had a smaller church that was built around the year 1500, and which was closed after the opening of the Groote Kerk.
The special thing is that this is a Protestant church.
The church is open from May during the summer months on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Back to the Hoogstraat
If you turn left at the Wip on the Hoogstraat, you will arrive in the historic center of Maassluis. Here you will find plenty of options for a cup of coffee or a well-deserved lunch.

At the end of the Hoogstraat you stand in front of the steps of the National Towage Museum, which you can already admire from the Schanseiland.
The museum has various rooms that give you an idea of the development of towage from simple rowing boats to the powerful ships that do the work today. An image of the maritime towage history, which played such an important role in the development of Maassluis. The towing museum is definitely worth a visit!

If you want to continue your walk or want more information about the history of Maassluis, we advise you to walk from the Market towards Nieuwstraat and purchase a historical city walk of Maassluis from Experience Maassluis Info. (Costs €3.00).

Back to Metro Station or Hotel?
From the Markt you enter the Wip and walk straight along the harbour
until you reach the Koepaardbrug again.
Here you turn left to the metro station or straight ahead over the walking/cycling bridge to Hotel Maassluis.

We thank you for your visit and hope to see you again!