Velsen
Encyclopedia
Velsen is a municipality in the Netherlands
, in the province of North Holland
. It is located on both sides of the North Sea Canal
.
On the north side of the North Sea Canal, in IJmuiden, there is a major steel plant, Corus
Strip Products IJmuiden, formerly known as Koninklijke Hoogovens
. The headquarter of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij
is located in IJmuiden.
The Kennemerstrand beach on the south side of the canal is at the end of the Kennemerboulevard, which runs south of the Seaport Marina.
To the south is the beach of Bloemendaal aan Zee
. In between is a nude beach
.
Also there is the Fast Flying Ferry to Amsterdam
. There used to be a railway link between IJmuiden and Amsterdam, the IJmondlijn until 1999, when it was closed.
The municipal council of Velsen consists of 33 seats, which are divided as follows:
(2.10).
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, in the province of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
. It is located on both sides of the North Sea Canal
North Sea Canal
The North Sea Canal is a Dutch ship canal from Amsterdam to the North Sea at IJmuiden, constructed between 1865 and 1876 to enable seafaring vessels to reach the port of Amsterdam...
.
On the north side of the North Sea Canal, in IJmuiden, there is a major steel plant, Corus
Corus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
Strip Products IJmuiden, formerly known as Koninklijke Hoogovens
Koninklijke Hoogovens
Koninklijke Hoogovens was a Dutch steel producer founded in 1918. In 1999, the company merged with British Steel to create Corus Group steel company. In 2007, Corus Group was purchased by India-based Tata Steel.- History :On April 19, 1917, H.J.E...
. The headquarter of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij
Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij
The Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution is the voluntary organization in the Netherlands tasked with saving lives at sea. For that purpose, it maintains 39 lifeboat stations along the Dutch coast of the North Sea and Wadden Sea and on the IJsselmeer...
is located in IJmuiden.
The Kennemerstrand beach on the south side of the canal is at the end of the Kennemerboulevard, which runs south of the Seaport Marina.
To the south is the beach of Bloemendaal aan Zee
Bloemendaal aan Zee
Bloemendaal aan Zee is a seaside resort and neighbourhood in the municipality Bloemendaal, in North Holland province, the Netherlands. It is between the beaches of IJmuiden to the north and Zandvoort to the south and surrounded by the dunes of the Zuid-Kennemerland National Park.Like Zandvoort, it...
. In between is a nude beach
Nude beach
A nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public. As beaches are usually on public lands, any member of the public is entitled to use the...
.
Population centres
The municipality of Velsen consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts:- on the north of the North Sea Canal:
- Velsen-NoordVelsen-NoordVelsen-Noord is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Velsen, and lies about 10 km north of Haarlem.The village Velsen-Noord has a population of around 4960....
, and a part of IJmuiden (Corus),
- Velsen-Noord
- on the south of the North Sea Canal:
- Velsen-ZuidVelsen-ZuidVelsen-Zuid is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Velsen, and lies about 9 km north of Haarlem.The village Velsen-Zuid has a population of around 930....
, DriehuisDriehuisDriehuis is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Velsen, and lies about 8 km north of Haarlem....
, IJmuiden, Santpoort-NoordSantpoort-NoordSantpoort-Noord is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Velsen, and lies about 6 km north of Haarlem....
, Santpoort-ZuidSantpoort-ZuidSantpoort-Zuid is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Velsen, and lies to the west of North-Haarlem . Santpoort-Zuid is bordered by the village of Bloemendaal to the south and the village of Santpoort-Noord to the north. There is a railway station...
and VelserbroekVelserbroekVelserbroek is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Velsen.The statistical area "Velserbroek", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 16220....
, and the parts OosterbroekOosterbroek- Places :* Oosterbroek , a former municipality in the Netherlands* Oosterbroek , a mansion and a former hamlet in the Netherlands...
and Buitenhuizen of the recreation area Spaarnwoude.
- Velsen-Zuid
Transportation
In Velsen, there are the following connections across the North Sea Canal:- A railroad tunnelTunnelA tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
between train stations Driehuis and BeverwijkBeverwijkBeverwijk is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town is located about northwest of Amsterdam in the Randstad metropolitan area, north of the North Sea Canal very close to the North Sea coast...
. - Road tunnels, from north to south:
- Wijker Tunnel
- Velser Tunnel next to the railroad tunnel
- A ferry
- A road across the lock complex
- Railway stations: DriehuisDriehuis railway stationDriehuis is a railway station in Driehuis, North Holland, the Netherlands. The station opened 29 September 1957. It lies on the Haarlem–Uitgeest railway. The station has 2 platforms.-Train services:The following services currently call at Driehuis:...
, Santpoort NoordSantpoort Noord railway stationSantpoort Noord is a railway station in Santpoort-Noord, North Holland, the Netherlands. The station opened 27 September 1957. It lies on the Haarlem–Uitgeest railway. The station has 2 long platforms. The station was the beginning of the railway to IJmuiden, which closed on 25 September 1983...
, Santpoort ZuidSantpoort Zuid railway stationSantpoort Zuid is a railway station in Santpoort-Zuid, North Holland, the Netherlands. The station opened 1 May 1867. It lies on the Haarlem–Uitgeest railway. The station has 2 platforms.-Train services:...
Also there is the Fast Flying Ferry to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. There used to be a railway link between IJmuiden and Amsterdam, the IJmondlijn until 1999, when it was closed.
Local government
- Velsen Lokaal - 14 seats
- CDAChristian Democratic AppealThe Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
- 5 seats - PvdALabour Party (Netherlands)The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
- 5 seats - VVDPeople's Party for Freedom and DemocracyThe People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
- 5 seats - GroenLinks - 2 seats
- ChristenUnie - 1 seat
- D66Democrats 66Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
- 1 seat
History
The ruins of a Roman naval base at Velsen are believed to be ancient Flevum, which is listed as Phleoum, Romanized to Phleum, in PtolemyPtolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
(2.10).
