TT #56: visit Velsen / IJmuiden!

Thirteen things to do or see in Velsen / IJmuiden I live in IJmuiden, one of the 7 residential areas of the municipality of Velsen. In this TT I'll share some places of interest and things to do in Velsen. Where possible the links go to English-language sites. If it's just Dutch, click some links to see the pictures. :-) beaches - We have IJmuiden aan Zee with Seaport Marina (click here to download the PDF-file "Discover IJmuiden aan Zee"), IJmuiderslag (my favourite place to walk with the dogs!) with 'inside sea-lake', and the Noorderstrand (the wind and water sports beach in Velsen Noord). dunes - National Park The Kennemerduinen and the Heerenduinen with their varied plant and animal life are among the most beautiful wildlife areas in the Netherlands. It is a varied wildlife area with dusty dunes, inland dunes, dune lakes, ancient dune oak woods and landscaped park woodlands. Here you will find the best developed and most extensive dune forests in the country. The entire area is riddled with hiking and cycling tracks that connect to a multitude of tourist attractions in the region. Fort Island - Fort Eiland is situated at the entrance of the port of IJmuiden. On this island a fort was built in 1888 for the defence of the North Sea canal. The fort is part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. bunkers - The Heerenduinen are host to a battery of bunkers and a Bunker Museum. There are guided bunker tours by Stichting WN2000. port of IJmuiden & docklands - IJmuiden is the maritime gateway to Amsterdam and is the Dutch port for fish (IJmuiden is one of the leading fishing cities of north-west Europe) and steel (Corus). The seaport and locks are definitely worth visiting. Spaarnwoude - North of the hamlet Spaarnwoude lies the Spaarnwoude recreation area, which is located in between the municipalities of Velsen and Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude. It has beautiful nature and a lot of activities. Pieter Vermeulen Museum - The Pieter Vermeulen Museum is the natural history and environmental education centre in IJmuiden aan Zee. The museum introduces you to the variety of natural habitats to be found in Kennemerland, beautifully displayed in the natural history museum and the Moerberg Gardens behind. The centre also supports Velsen’s schools and other educational institutions in their natural history and environmental education programmes. De Visserijschool - This Maritime and Harbour Museum is devoted to the creation of the North Sea canal, with realistic reproductions of the harbour towing services, salvation and transport activities. It also houses a complete ship’s bridge and exhibits different types of radar equipment. Brederode ruins - The Ruins of Brederode are what remains of the mediaeval castle of the lords of Brederode. The castle was built on the remnants of an older fortress in around 1355. From a military and trading point of view, the castle was in a very strategic location; the swampy peat bogs that surrounded the castle considerably reduced the risk of surprise attacks. In 1573, Spanish soldiers nevertheless succeeded in plundering and setting fire to the castle, and it has been a ruin ever since. De Zandhaas - This flourmill was built in 1779 and in use until 1957. In June 1991, it was agreed with the municipality that the Zandhaas Flourmill Foundation was to become the tenant of the mill with the objective of maintaining the mill and restoring its milling capability. Thanks to two major restorations in 1991 and 1998, De Zandhaas can now use wind power to mill again, turning it into an working monument. These days, the mill is kept going by a professional miller, and part of the old mill shed has been converted into a visitor’s centre. A shop on the mill’s ground floor offers a wide range of grain, flour and baking products. Gemaal Velserbroek - This little pumping station is very old and has obtained monument status. In 1914 the old steam engine was replaced by the nowadays unique Brons diesel engine. The station has the capacity to keep the surrounding polder area (460 hectares!) dry, even with heavy storms. Duin- & Kruidberg and Beeckestijn - Remaining two of the beautiful "buitenplaatsen" this region once had. Rich families from Amsterdam, Utrecht etc. had summer residences in the countryside and near the coast. Beeckestijn Museum is closed since 2006, but the famous 18th century gardens are freely accessible. Duin- & Kruidberg is open for public since 2002. Oud-Velsen - Built around the 12th century Engelmundus church and with monumental houses and streets this preserved core of the old village of Velsen has a lot of charm. The old Town Hall plays host to exhibitions by various artists. There's more to see and do, so if you ever come to The Netherlands, don't forget my hometown! See a lot of pictures on the website of Coos Ernens. Live webcam from the townhall looking towards the harbour. sources: Toerisme Velsen and Wikipedia on 'Velsen' ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Sue ~*~ busy91 ~*~ Friday's Child ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ Nicholas ~*~ Christine d'Abo ~*~ WorksForMom ~*~ Mark Caldwell ~*~ Joely Sue ~*~ Amy Ruttan ~*~ PJ ~*~ pussreboots ~*~ No Nonsense girl ~*~ armywife ~*~ Helena ~*~ Lori ~*~ Dorothy ~*~ Thomma Lyn ~*~ A Cowboy's Wife ~*~ julia ~*~ Lara Angelina ~*~ Yuriko ~*~ Wylie Kinson ~*~ Jessie ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Ann ~*~ Retta ~*~ MomNotMum ~*~ Damozel ~*~ mar ~*~ Grace ~*~ Xakara ~*~ Darla ~*~ Robin ~*~ WAHM ~*~ Hootin' Anni ~*~ Judy Callarman ~*~ Sparky Duck ~*~ Ann Aguirre ~*~ L^2 ~*~ Nicole ~*~ Cassandra ~*~ Joshua ~*~ Mama Pajama ~*~ the diva ~*~ Alasandra ~*~ TopChamp ~*~ Capt. Lifecruiser ~*~ Natalie ~*~ The Bluest Butterfly ~*~ RennyBA ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! 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