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 takes you past Fort Kijkduin and the port 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 drive into the Grafelijkheidsduinen via the coniferous forest of the Donkere Duinen. Both nature reserves were formed from the remains of two old Wadden Islands that grew together in the sixteenth century through drifting sand. A little further on you 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 was given its current name. The fort originally consisted of a reduit with two bastions. When the sea wall was strengthened, part of the defenses surrounding 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 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, a lighthouse that was lit in 1878, towers above the horizon. At almost 64 meters it is the highest cast iron lighthouse in Europe. In Den Helder you will pass the Navy Museum. On board some museum ships, former crew members tell wonderful anecdotes. Via the Timorpark, the Quelderduyn and the Rehorstpark you drive back into the polder to Julianadorp. This former hamlet was originally called Loopuyt. However, in honor of the birth of Princess Juliana in 1909, Loopuyt was allowed to be renamed Julianadorp.