Explore Den Helder on foot!

Napoleon had four forts built for the defense of the naval port: Kijkduin, Erfprins, Dirksz. Admiral and East Bank. These forts were later connected by a line dike. Together they form the Defense Line of Den Helder. In Fort Dirksz. Admiral still reverberates in history. The fort was built by the French in 1813. At the end of the nineteenth century, the fort was equipped with bombproof shelters, with rooms for the men and gunpowder rooms. During World War II, the Germans placed an anti-aircraft battery on top of the old barracks. Although the fort is no longer in complete condition, many objects are still visible.

The route takes you further along Quenderduyn, one of Den Helder's city parks. When you walk almost to the end of the Schootenweg, you cross a bridge just before the Y-junction. A branch of the single track between Den Helder and Alkmaar once ran under this bridge. The steam train between Den Helder and Alkmaar took 70 minutes. In 1865, this single track was the second line to be built by the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg Maatschappij. The first line of that company naturally ran from Amsterdam to Haarlem. The division ran to the industrial port, so that seagoing vessels could dump their cargo directly into the wagons here. The branch is now overgrown and partly broken up.