Hellevoetsluis (Netherlands South Holland)

Hellevoetsluis is a port town in The Netherlands' South Holland province (Voorne aan Zee municipality on Voorne-Putten Island) with population around 40,000.

Hellevoetsluis is on the Haringvliet (a large inlet and an important estuary of the Rhine-Meuse Delta). The new Voorne aan Zee municipality was formed in 2023 as a merger of two former municipalities (Brielle and Westvoorne).

As a cruise port, Hellevoetsluis was introduced in 2023 and included in the schedule of the German company Phoenix Reisen with its riverboat MS Viola.

The next table shows AmaWaterways' 7-night/8-day "Best of Holland and Belgium" river cruise itinerary introduced by the company in summer 2024.

Prices started from US$3400 per person.

During the Dutch Revolt (aka Eighty Year's War/1568-1648) Hellevoetsluis was developed as a major naval port by the Admiralty of Rotterdam (one of the Dutch Republic's five admiralties - together with Amsterdam, Friesland, Noorderkwartier, and Zeeland). Hellevoetsluis Harbour was a large land-enclosed (within a fortress and canal-accessed) waterway, with dockyard facilities and with the capacity to accommodate Rotterdam/s entire fleet.

In the 17th century, the town grew and became the homeport for Holland's entire naval fleet (of warships). As the fortification of the port continued through the years, Hellevoetsluis became a fortified "port town".

The 1830-completed Kanaal door Voorne (Voorne Canal) linked Hellevoetsluis with Nieuwesluis and made the town an outport of the City of Rotterdam. Together with the shipping industry the town also grew and prospered. However, cargo shipping started to decline in the late-19th/early-20th century, as ocean-going vessels grew in volume/size and the larger Nieuwe Waterweg ship canal was built (1872-opened, length 20 km/12 mi) connecting Scheur River (around Rozenburg Island in the Rhine-Meuse Delta) to the North Sea (at Hook of Holland). Nieuwe Waterweg eventually made the Voorne Canal redundant, Hellevoetsluis Naval Base was eventually closed (in the 1930s relocated to Den Helder), the shipyard was also closed, and ~3/4th of the old town was destroyed in 1944 (during World War II/1939-45) by the Germans. Following the war, the town was rebuilt and now most of its work force are commuters serving businesses in Europoort (aka Eurogate/a territory comprising Port Rotterdam and its adjoining industrial areas) and Rotterdam City itself.

The town is very popular among domestic tourists for its numerous and diverse shops, ranging from small stores to the De Struytse Hoeck shopping mall (grouping 120+ stores). When the Haringvliet dam/locks were built in November 1971 (cutting the direct access of the rivers Rhine and Meuse to the North Sea), Haringvliet became a freshwater reservoir attracting tourists with activities like surfing and sailing.

There are also extensive boating and recreation facilities (including 2000+ yacht slots/moorings spread over 5 harbors) making Hellevoetsluis one of Holland's largest centers for watersports and popular annual events. Among those are the Vestingdagen (Fortress Days festival held in August each year) and the Dutch Classic Yacht Regatta (held every two years).

The 1806-built Hellevoetsluis Dry Dock is a revolutionary (still operational) facility specializing in shipbuilding and repairs.