Facts and Figures about Vileness and IJmuiden...

Velsen and Santpoort
The origin of the municipality is the village of Velsen, today squeezed in between the motorway and the North Sea canal, but in the days of old an agrarian community situated between the dunes and the Wijkermeer lake. There are signs of habitation from as early as the Bronze age and it is still bearing traces of Roman rule by means of a fort and a harbour in the Wijkermeer lake.
Velsen was a place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. Devotees visited the city to honour the holy Engelmundus and to be cured from all kinds of physical disorders.
Santpoort has had a joint administration with Velsen throughout the centuries. The lords of Brederode were "artisans of the delicacies of Velsen and Santpoort".

The Fort Island, near the sea locks

In the 17th and 18th century this stretch of the coast became a favourite spot for merchants from Amsterdam who acquired estates and built country seats. The estates of Beeckestein, Velserbeek and Schooneberg are still there to bear witness to this period.

IJmuiden and the North Sea canal
The rural quietness of the municipality abruptly ended when, in 1876, the North Sea canal was opened. The IJ and the Wijkermeer lake were impoldered especially for this purpose. Many labourers decided to stay in the area and became, together with the staff for the sea locks and the customs and excise personnel, the first inhabitants of this area. The new settlement was baptized IJmuiden by King William the 3rd.
The village developed quickly. Not as many expected because of expanded shipping movements, but rather because of the flourishing fishing industry in the area. At the end of the 19th century the fishing fleet was enriched with a new harbour, developed by the State of Holland, wherein later the States fish auction was to be established. IJmuiden grew to become the most important harbour for the supply of sea fish to the country, a position which is consolidated to this day.
The digging of the North Sea canal divided the city of Velsen into two parts. The population cluster of Velsen-North developed itself in the vicinity of the rising industries such as the steel ovens and the paper mills.

The small locks, still in use every day.

Demolition and construction
The development of IJmuiden that had started in 1876 abruptly and cruelly ended with the outbreak of the second World War. Evacuation of the inhabitants and demolition of about a third of the houses in IJmuiden made Velsen to become one of the Dutch cities that were hit hardest. With an energetic approach to the reconstruction Velsen developed into a modern city by the sea, the centre of which became IJmuiden-East. A new city hall, designed by the famous architect Dudok, was built here in 1965. New neighbourhoods sprung up along the dunes; Zeewijk and Duinwijk.

Velserbroek
In November 1984 the first stone was laid for the new residential nucleus Velserbroek. Six thousand flats have been planned in this old polder. Besides that, facilities have to be developed like schools, shops and social/cultural services that are needed for an urban area where about 16.000 people will be living.

The municipal Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms of the municipality of Velsen consists of a gold coloured lamb (the Lamb of God) carrying a banner, pictured against a blue background. On the (cross) banner a Saint Andreas cross is depicted. The oldest known example of the Coat of Arms of Velsen dates from the middle of the 17th century. It is unclear what the original colours have been like. In 1816 the High Court of Noblemen decided on the present blue and yellow.

Area measurements
The surface of the municipality of Velsen is 5.287 hectares, 950 hectares of which are forest and wetlands. 807 hectares is built up area, 500 hectares industrial estate, 242 hectares are parks or public gardens, 1075 hectares arable land and 630 hectares of water.
 
 

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