Editing Hook of Holland

{{Infobox settlement
|name               = Hook of Holland
|native_name        = {{native name|nl|Hoek van Holland|icon=no}}
|settlement_type    = [[Village]]
|image_skyline      = Hoek_van_Holland_town_centre.jpg <!-- NB "Despite the name it can be any image that an editor wishes" from template documentation - ie need not be a skyline. -->
|image_alt = Town centre of the Hook of Holland.
|image_caption = Hook of Holland's centre
|image_flag         = Flag of Hoek van Holland.svg
|image_shield       = Hoek van Holland wapen.svg
|pushpin_map        = Netherlands#North Sea
|coordinates        = {{coord|51|58|52|N|4|7|43|E|region:NL|display=it}}
|subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name   = Netherlands
|subdivision_type1  = Province
|subdivision_name1  = [[South Holland]]
|subdivision_type2  = Municipality
|subdivision_name2  = [[Rotterdam]]
|area_total_km2     = 18.53
|population         = 10,560
|population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web |author=Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek |title=Tabel: Bevolking; maandcijfers per gemeente en overige regionale indelingen |url=https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/maatwerk/2024/11/kerncijfers-wijken-en-buurten-2023}}</ref>
|population_as_of   = 1 January 2023
|density            =
|website            = https://www.rotterdam.nl/hoek-van-holland
|blank_name_sec1    = Transport
|blank1_name_sec1   = Major roads
|blank1_info_sec1   = N211 N220
|postal_code        = 3150 - 3151
|blank_name_sec2    = Dialing code
|blank_info_sec2    = 0174
}}
'''Hook of Holland''' ({{langx|nl|Hoek van Holland}}, {{IPA|nl|ˈɦuk fɑn ˈɦɔlɑnt|pron|Nl-Hoek van Holland.ogg}}){{efn|''Van'' in isolation: {{IPA|nl|vɑn|}}.}} is a coastal [[village]] in the southwestern corner of [[Holland]], hence the name; ''hoek'' means "corner" and was in use before the word ''[[wikt:kaap#Dutch|kaap]]'' – "cape". The English translation using Hook is a false cognate of the Dutch Hoek, but has become commonplace (in official government records in English, the name tends not to get translated and Hoek van Holland is used). It is located at the mouth of the [[Nieuwe Waterweg|New Waterway]] shipping canal into the [[North Sea]]. The village is administered as a district of the municipality of [[Rotterdam]]. Its district covers an area of 18.53&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, of which 14.19&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> is land. On 1 January 2023 it had an estimated population of 10,560.

Settlements near "the Hook" ({{lang|nl|de Hoek}}) include the small towns [[Monster, Netherlands|Monster]], [[Naaldwijk]] and [['s-Gravenzande]] and the city [[Delft]] to the northeast, and the town [[Maassluis]] to the southeast. On the other side of the river is the harbor [[Europoort|Europort]] and the [[Maasvlakte]]. The wide sandy beach, one section of which is designated for use by [[naturist]]s, runs for approximately 18 kilometres to [[Scheveningen]] and for most of this distance is backed by extensive [[Sand dune#Coastal dunes|sand dunes]] through which there are foot and cycle paths. On the north side of the New Waterway, to the west of the village, is a pier, part of which is accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

The Berghaven is a small [[harbour]] on the New Waterway where the Rotterdam and Europoort [[Maritime pilot|pilots]] are based. This small harbour is only for the use of the pilot service, government vessels and the Hook of Holland [[Lifeboat (rescue)|lifeboat]].

== History ==
[[Image:Hoek van Holland duinen.jpg|thumb|left|Dunes]]
The Hook of Holland area was created as a sandbar in the [[River Maas|Maas]] estuary, when it became more and more silted after [[St. Elizabeth's flood (1421)|St. Elizabeth's flood of 1421]]. All kinds of plans were designed to improve the shipping channel to Rotterdam. In 1863 it was finally decided to construct the [[New Waterway]] which was dug between 1866 and 1868. The route ran through the Hook of Holland, where a primitive settlement, Old Hook (Oude Hoek - nowadays the Zuidelijk Strandcentrum), was created.  Many workers and senior employees of the [[Rijkswaterstaat]]  settled in Old Hook.

The Hook initially fell under the administrative authority of [['s-Gravenzande]]. An attempt by the inhabitants to transform the place into an independent municipality failed and, on 1 January 1914, Hook of Holland was added to Rotterdam. After the First World War the village started to develop into a seaside resort. It has since been informally known as 'Rotterdam by the sea'.

During [[World War II]], the Hook was one of the most important places for the [[Wehrmacht]] to hold because of its harbour, which comprised an important and strategic part of the [[Atlantic Wall]]. The German Army installed three 11" guns (removed from the damaged battleship [[German battleship Gneisenau|Gneisenau]]) as shore batteries to protect the port area from invasion.

Hook of Holland already had a ward council in 1947 and has been a borough since 1973. In 2014, it was replaced by an "area committee".
{{clear left}}

==Kindertransport monument==
[[File:Hoek van Holland Channel Crossing to Life, Kindertransports 1938-1939 des Bildhauers Frank Meisler auf dem Koningin Emmaboulevard im Fährhafen von Hoek van Holland, Rotterdam 04.jpg|left|thumb|''{{Ill|Channel Crossing to Life|nl|Kindertransport Monument Hoek van Holland}}'', [[Frank Meisler]], unveiled November 2011<ref>With the boy sitting down the daily paper ''De Rotterdammer'' of November 11, 1938 is shown with the articles ''Het toelaten van Duitsche Jodenkinderen'' (The admission of German Jewish children) and ''Duizenden Joden moeten Duitschland verlaten'' (Thousands of Jews have to leave Germany).</ref>]]

The ''[[kindertransport]]'', with which Jewish children from [[Germany]], [[Austria]], [[Poland]] and [[Czechoslovakia]] could be brought to England from December 1938 until the outbreak of the [[World War II]], usually went from the children's home stations to the Netherlands by train. The crossing to [[Harwich]] then largely took place from Hook of Holland. The transports were supported by the Dutch government and by volunteers. The first transport, which started on December 1, 1938, at the [[Berlin Anhalter Bahnhof]], reached England on December 2, 1938. When the transport was allowed, the British government stipulated that the children could not be older than seventeen and that their parents could not come along. The [[Nazi Germany|Nazis]] stipulated, among other things, that the children at the railway station were not allowed to say goodbye to those left behind. By the time the war broke out in 1939, approximately 10,000 children had been brought to Britain in this way.<ref>[https://historiek.net/kindertranport-monument-in-hoek-van-holland/13776/ Kindertransport-monument in Hoek van Holland]. On: ''Historiek'', online geschiedenismagazine.</ref>
{{clear left}}

==Transport links==
[[Image:Hoek van holland stena line.jpg|thumb|right|Ferry terminal on the New Waterway, with the [[HSC HSS Discovery|HSS Discovery]] in the background]]
[[File:Hoek van Holland Europoort passport stamp.jpg|thumb|Passport stamp issued at the ferry terminal to passengers to or from the UK]]
[[File:Rotterdam-Hoek van Holland, ligplaats van de Stena Line IMG 0462 2024-04-07 10.55.jpg|Hook of Holland, the berth of Stena Line|thumb]]

===Railways===
The [[Schiedam–Hoek van Holland railway]] was a 24-kilometre train service [[branch line]] from [[Schiedam Centrum station]] via [[Vlaardingen]] and [[Maassluis]]. The final two stations on the line were located within the village. [[Hoek van Holland Haven railway station|Hoek van Holland Haven]], the penultimate station, was close to the village centre, adjacent to the [[ferry]] terminal and the small harbour, the Berghaven. [[Hoek van Holland Strand railway station|Hoek van Holland Strand]], the terminus, is closest to the beach. The railway line opened for service in 1893 and was [[Electrification (railway)|electrified]] in 1935. International trains ran from Berlin and Moscow to connected these with London via the ferry service. From 1928 to 1939 and from 1962 to 1979, Hook of Holland was the northern terminus of the [[Rheingold Express]] to Frankfurt and Geneva. Services on the line to [[Rotterdam Centraal station]] were operated by [[Nederlandse Spoorwegen|NS]] every half-hour during the day until April 2017, when the line was closed.

It was then converted to a [[Rapid transit|metro/lightrail]] system. It was reopened in September 2019, as an extension of the [[Rotterdam Metro]] / lightrail. The metro/lightrail service from Hook of Holland terminates at the beach, stops at the redeveloped [[Hoek van Holland Haven metro station]] where it connects to the [[Stena Line]] ferry to [[Harwich]]. It connects to Dutch trains services at [[Schiedam Centrum station]], [[Rotterdam Blaak station]] and [[Rotterdam Alexander station]] and after changing to other metro lines at [[Beurs metro station]] to [[Rotterdam Centraal]].

===Ferry===
Hook of Holland is also the location of an international ferry terminal, from which service to eastern England has operated since 1893 except for the durations of the two [[World Wars]]. Currently, two routes are operated: one, a day-and-night freight and passenger service to [[Harwich International Port|Harwich]], [[Essex]], and the other, a night, freight-only service to [[North Killingholme Haven]], [[Lincolnshire]]. The passenger ferry service is operated by [[Stena Line Holland BV|Stena Line]] as part of the [[Dutchflyer]] rail-ferry service between Hook van Holland Haven station and [[Harwich International railway station|Harwich International station]] in England, from which [[Greater Anglia (train operating company)|Greater Anglia]] provides service to [[Liverpool Street station]] in central [[London]].

A local ferry operated by [[Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram|RET]] links the Hook with the [[Maasvlakte]] part of the [[Port of Rotterdam]].

===Motorways===
The [[A20 motorway (Netherlands)|A20 motorway]] begins approximately 10 kilometres east of Hook of Holland near [[Westerlee, South Holland|Westerlee]], heading east towards [[Rotterdam]] and [[Utrecht]]. It connects to the [[A4 motorway (Netherlands)|A4]] heading north towards [[The Hague]] and [[Amsterdam]] 17 kilometres east of the village.

==Climate==
{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Hook of Holland (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1901−present)
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|Jan record high C = 14.2
|Feb record high C = 18.7
|Mar record high C = 22.8
|Apr record high C = 28.7
|May record high C = 32.7
|Jun record high C = 33.8
|Jul record high C = 38.9
|Aug record high C = 34.8
|Sep record high C = 32.5
|Oct record high C = 25.9
|Nov record high C = 19.7
|Dec record high C = 15.6
|Jan record low C = -13.0
|Feb record low C = -12.3
|Mar record low C = -8.6
|Apr record low C = -2.5
|May record low C = 1.5
|Jun record low C = 5.1
|Jul record low C = 8.5
|Aug record low C = 8.4
|Sep record low C = 0.5
|Oct record low C = -2.1
|Nov record low C = -6.0
|Dec record low C = -11.5
|Jan high C = 6.5
|Feb high C = 7.1
|Mar high C = 10.1
|Apr high C = 14.0
|May high C = 17.1
|Jun high C = 19.5
|Jul high C = 21.5
|Aug high C = 22.2
|Sep high C = 19.4
|Oct high C = 15.1
|Nov high C = 10.4
|Dec high C = 7.2
|year high C = 14.2
|Jan mean C = 4.4
|Feb mean C = 4.5
|Mar mean C = 6.8
|Apr mean C = 9.8
|May mean C = 13.1
|Jun mean C = 15.7
|Jul mean C = 18.0
|Aug mean C = 18.3
|Sep mean C = 15.8
|Oct mean C = 12.0
|Nov mean C = 8.2
|Dec mean C = 5.2
|year mean C = 11.0
|Jan low C = 2.3
|Feb low C = 2.0
|Mar low C = 3.8
|Apr low C = 6.2
|May low C = 9.4
|Jun low C = 12.2
|Jul low C = 14.5
|Aug low C = 14.7
|Sep low C = 12.5
|Oct low C = 9.2
|Nov low C = 5.6
|Dec low C = 3.1
|year low C = 8.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 69.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 65.2
|Mar precipitation mm = 54.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 37.5
|May precipitation mm = 52.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 62.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 76.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 100.7
|Sep precipitation mm = 87.4
|Oct precipitation mm = 88.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 94.4
|Dec precipitation mm = 83.9
|year precipitation mm = 871.8
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 
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|unit snow days = 1 cm
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|Jan humidity = 85.9
|Feb humidity = 83.8
|Mar humidity = 80.7
|Apr humidity = 75.5
|May humidity = 76.2
|Jun humidity = 78.0
|Jul humidity = 78.5
|Aug humidity = 78.2
|Sep humidity = 79.5
|Oct humidity = 82.3
|Nov humidity = 85.8
|Dec humidity = 86.5
|year humidity = 80.9
|Jan sun = 74.6
|Feb sun = 100.8
|Mar sun = 155.4
|Apr sun = 217.0
|May sun = 241.7
|Jun sun = 232.6
|Jul sun = 231.9
|Aug sun = 216.4
|Sep sun = 167.9
|Oct sun = 121.0
|Nov sun = 70.4
|Dec sun = 56.8
|year sun = 1886.5
|Jan percentsun = 28.8
|Feb percentsun = 35.8
|Mar percentsun = 42.1
|Apr percentsun = 52.2
|May percentsun = 49.8
|Jun percentsun = 46.6
|Jul percentsun = 46.2
|Aug percentsun = 47.6
|Sep percentsun = 44.1
|Oct percentsun = 36.6
|Nov percentsun = 26.4
|Dec percentsun = 23.4
|year percentsun =40.0
|source 1 = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://weerstatistieken.nl/hoek-van-holland
|title=Weerstatistieken Hoek van Holland
| publisher = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]]
| access-date = March 15, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.knmi.nl/klimaat-viewer/grafieken-tabellen/meteorologische-stations/stations-maand/stations-maand_1991-2020
|title=Klimaatviewer 1991-2020
| publisher = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute]]
| access-date = June 24, 2022}}</ref>}}

== Notable people ==
* [[Jan Knippenberg]] (1948–1995), an ultrarunner and historian. In 1974, he ran from Hook of Holland to [[Stockholm]], Sweden ({{cvt|1600|km|disp=sqbr}}) in 18 days
* [[Richard de Mos]] (born 1976), a PVV politician, brought up in Hook of Holland 
* [[Jesper Leerdam]] (born 1987) is a former footballer who played for the Dayton Dutch Lions, [[Excelsior Maassluis]] and SW Scheveningen<ref>{{cite web |title=Jesper Leerdam |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/jesper-leerdam/ |website=World Football}}</ref>
* [[Roy Kortsmit]] (born 1992), a professional footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for [[NAC Breda]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Roy Kortsmit |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/roy-kortsmit/ |website=World Football}}</ref>
* [[Bryan Janssen]] (born 1995), a former professional goalkeeper<ref>{{cite web |title=ASWH versterkt zich met doelman Bryan Janssen |url=https://www.voetbal247.nl/aswh-versterkt-zich-met-doelman-bryan-janssen/ |website=Voetbal 247 (Football 247)}}</ref> who plays for [[Kozakken Boys]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last1=Hendy |first1=John |last2=Cowsill |first2=Miles |last3=Brown |first3=Stephen |title=Harwich - Hook of Holland 1893-2010 |publisher=Ferry Publications |location=Ramsey, Isle of Man |date=2010 |isbn=9781906608101}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{Wikivoyage inline}}
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://hoekvanholland.nl/?lang=en Hook of Holland VVV (tourist information) site]
*[http://www.stenaline.nl/ Harwich - Hoek ferry service]

{{Boroughs of Rotterdam}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hook Of Holland}}
[[Category:Rotterdam]]
[[Category:Boroughs of Rotterdam]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Populated places in South Holland]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]