Monuments in Noord-Holland

R. Stenvert en C. Kolman (2006)

Gepubliceerd op 30-03-2018

Velsen

betekenis & definitie

Village, originated in the 8th century at a church founded by Willibrord and originally situated on the Wijkermeer. The Romans had here in the 1st century AD. already a settlement with a fleet basis. In the 17th century Amsterdam patricians founded a series of country estates near the village.

During the construction of the North Sea Canal (1865-'76) the Wijkermeer was reclaimed and Velsen came to lie on the south bank of the canal. Until the opening of the Velser Tunnel (1957), a ferry provided the connection with the cut-off Velsen-Noord. Because of the widening of the canal between 1905 and 1969 parts of the old village have disappeared. The remaining part is a protected village.