Experience Den Helder

Napoleon already saw it: Den Helder has a perfect strategic location. The French emperor even called Den Helder the Gibraltar of the North. This route also takes you along Fort Kijkduin and the harbor of Den Helder. Get to know the maritime history of this surprisingly green city. Just south of Den Helder you drive along the natural coast. You enter the Grafheidsduinen through the coniferous forest of the Donkere Duinen. Both nature reserves were formed from the remains of two old Wadden islands that grew together through shifting sand in the sixteenth century. A little further on you will arrive at Museum Fort Kijkduin, a national monument. The fort was built in 1811 by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. Initially the fort was named after Colonel François Louis Morland, but after the departure of the French the fort got its current name. The fort originally consisted of a reduit with two bastions. When the sea dike was reinforced, part of the defenses that surrounded the fort disappeared. A North Sea aquarium has been built in the underground tunnel system of Fort Kijkduin. Colorful sea anemones, impressive rays, red gurnards and smooth sharks can be admired up close. In this tunnel you will experience the North Sea up close. The route continues along the coast. Here you can enjoy the beautiful view of the sea and the sound of the surf. Inland, Lange Jaap towers above the horizon, a lighthouse that was lit in 1878. At almost 64 metres, it is the tallest cast-iron lighthouse in Europe. In Den Helder you will pass the Marine Museum. Former crew members tell wonderful anecdotes on board some of the museum ships. Via the Timorpark, the Queelderduyn and the Rehorstpark you drive back into the polder to Julianadorp. Originally this former hamlet was called Loopuyt. In honor of the birth of Princess Juliana in 1909, Loopuyt was renamed Julianadorp.