150 years of the Noordzeekanaal

The Noordzeekanaal is 150 years old, and NH is marking the anniversary with a three-part television series.

The series looks back at the history of the waterway, which changed the lives of generations of people in North Holland for good.

In the 19th century, Amsterdam needed a faster route to the North Sea.

Ships used the Noordhollandsch Kanaal to reach Den Helder, but that route was long and shallow, and it was less and less suited to ships that kept getting bigger.

The Noordzeekanaal was built to solve that problem.

Building the canal and IJmuiden

Thousands of workers spent 11 years building the new waterway in harsh conditions, and most of it was dug by hand.

After the canal opened in 1876, the area changed quickly.

Piers were built at the mouth of the canal, creating a sheltered spot for fishing boats.

Fishers came from places such as Egmond, Urk, Katwijk and Scheveningen, and a fishing harbour grew up alongside a new town: IJmuiden.

Jan Zwanenburg, who has worked in the fish trade for 66 years, says his family came from Egmond and was among IJmuiden’s first generation of fishers. “I was brought up with fish,” he says. “I don’t know anything else.”

For more on how the sea shaped the city, check out our guide to Amsterdam’s history.

Source: NH Nieuws