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14-528: From 1865 on, when the construction on the North Sea Canal began, the town of Velsen, which originated in Roman times, was split in two parts. The northern part was known as Wijkeroog. Circa 1920, when municipality Beverwijk was planning to annex its surrounding villages, Velsen renamed Wijkeroog to Velsen-Noord (and Velsen itself to Velsen-Zuid ) to indicate clearly that it was part of the municipality. In 1918,

28-456: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . North Sea Canal The North Sea Canal ( Dutch : Noordzeekanaal ) 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. This man-made channel terminates at Amsterdam in the closed-off IJ Bay , which in turn connects to

42-740: The Amsterdam-Rhine Canal . The drainage of the canal to the North Sea is done through the IJmuiden sea lock , augmented by the largest pumping station in Europe. This system is vital to the groundwater management of the Western Netherlands. To improve the connection between the harbour of Amsterdam and the North Sea, the North Holland Canal was built in 1824. But this long and narrow canal

56-621: The IJ; at least one is frequent, operating 24 hours a day, free of charge. Bicyclists may only cross the canal at the locks in IJmuiden or at the Schellingwouderbrug, a bridge in the very east of Amsterdam or via ferries. Tunnels for bicyclists still do not exist. IJgeul The IJgeul or IJ trench is a man-made excavation on the bottom of the North Sea , off the coast of IJmuiden , which provides access to large vessels with deep drafts to

70-563: The Netherlands . Over the years the canal has been widened and deepened several times. The North Sea Canal and the IJ have 10 side canals (in Dutch: Zijkanaal ), which connect to rivers and other canals which used to flow into the former IJ Bay before its reclamation. Vessels with a draft of more than 14 metres should use the IJgeul . To protect access to the channel jetties were built in

84-677: The channel to 17.8 meters. In addition, the IJgeul was extended in length from 23 to 43 kilometers. Traffic is strictly regulated; vessels must follow the leading lights over the last 23 km, which are formed by the Hoge vuurtoren van IJmuiden and the Lage vuurtoren van IJmuiden . 18 km from the coast, a space was created so that in case of problems, it is possible for vessels to turn back. The Prostar Sailing Directions from 2006 provides detailed approach and restriction information. The average attendance

98-466: The coast. There are four locks, of various sizes at the North Sea mouth of the canal: When the north canal lock was opened in 1929 it was the largest canal lock in the world. Railway and metro tunnels (with nearest station on the south and north bank): Road tunnels, from east to west: The most western crossing is the road over the locks. The route depends on which of the locks is closed. Several ferries . In Amsterdam there are several across

112-488: The completion of these locks the North Sea Canal and IJ Bay were no longer open to the sea and a specific water level could be maintained. The canal was dug using manual labour. The workers lived in horrid conditions, being housed in huts built from twigs, driftwood, sod, and straw, where disease, fights, and alcohol abuse were rampant. On 1 November 1876, the North Sea Canal was officially opened by King William III of

126-677: The mouth in 1876 where the new town of IJmuiden (Dutch for "IJ Mouth") formed. In 1896 the Middle Locks ( Middensluis ) were built, followed by the North Locks ( Noordersluis ) in 1929, which were Europe's largest locks at that time. At the eastern end of the canal, east of Amsterdam, the IJ Bay was open to the Zuiderzee until 1872 when the Oranje Locks ( Oranjesluizen ) were built. With

140-534: The port of IJmuiden, and also via the North Sea Canal , to the port of Amsterdam (just like the Eurogeul for the port of Rotterdam ). The name comes from IJ and geul , a Dutch word meaning "the portion of a channel that often has to be dredged." When the IJgeul opened in 1982, the maximum draft was at 16.5 meters. In 2006, the Minister of Transport decided to deepen and extend the IJgeul. Public works have dredged

154-517: The sea. In 1957 the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium began research for the best solution. The result was two jetties with 500 m difference in length between the southern and the northern one. The length of the north pier should be 1500 m to 2500 m and the south jetty of about 3000 m. This is to prevent the silting of the entrance channel and to ensure that vessels entering suffer less from the prevailing south-west and north–south flow along

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168-538: The steel producer Koninklijke Hoogovens was established in Velsen-Noord along the North Sea Canal. Its blast furnaces have defined the landscape of this town since then. The Hoogovensmuseum was opened in 2009 by the Stichting Industrieel Erfgoed Hoogovens (SIEHO) in order to preserve the industrial heritage of this historic steel producing site. This North Holland location article

182-658: Was built by digging a channel through the old IJ Bay and lining it with dikes, after which the remaining portions of the IJ Bay were reclaimed and turned into polders . From this bay to the sea, a new canal was dug through the dunes at Velsen . To accommodate drainage of and shipping on the tributaries of the IJ, such as the Spaarne , the Zaan , and the Nauerna Canal , nine auxiliary canals needed to be dug as well (Side Canals "A" to "I"). A small set of locks ( Zuidersluis ) were built at

196-462: Was quickly inadequate to handle the growing boat traffic. A few decades later it was decided to dig a new canal at the narrowest point in Holland and thereby providing the shortest route to the sea. Digging began on 8 March 1865, at the dunes of Breesaap and lasted until 1876. Since no Dutch company was willing to take on this task, the project was awarded to an English contractor. The North Sea Canal

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