A harbor with a tugboat, surrounded by grass and city buildings in the background. Industrial plant with tall towers and pipes, surrounded by grass and hills under a cloudy sky.
Netherlands

IJmuiden: The Gateway to Amsterdam

The Tata Steel plant in IJmuiden.
 IJmuiden, Netherlands, July 2022

IJmuiden is spelled with two capital letters because, in Dutch, “IJ” is considered a single letter. The city sits where the North Sea Canal meets the open sea—the direct link between Amsterdam and the vast ocean. But this is no typical coastal town.

IJmuiden is vast, functional, and above all, built for industry. There are no elegant seaside villas here, but you will find the world’s largest lock and the Netherlands’ biggest industrial complex—the Tata Steel plant. For anyone fascinated by the interplay of ports, industry, and engineering, this is the perfect panorama.

Even in the early morning hours, the city hums with activity. Barges, tugboats, freighters—everything is in motion, orchestrated by colossal hydraulic structures. I missed the view of the massive main lock due to the early hour, but at the smaller locks, work was already underway at sunrise. There are no romantic harbor scenes here—just machines, steel, and the scent of saltwater and engine oil.

IJmuiden is not beautiful in the conventional sense. But it is impressive. A city not built for people, but for the sea, for shipping, for industry.

Map of IJmuiden
Wind turbines stand against an industrial backdrop, illuminated by the evening sun. Grasses sway in the foreground.
A water basin reflects the sun and clouds, surrounded by a fence and industrial structures in the background.
A large cargo ship sails in the water, passing by a wind turbine and lush riverbanks.
Large ships in the harbor, steam rising, factories in the background, calm water with a green grass line in the foreground.
Industrial plant with tall towers and pipes, surrounded by grass and hills under a cloudy sky.
The Tata Steel plant in IJmuiden dominates the coastline with its massive blast furnaces. One of the largest steel producers in Europe, the facility has been a key player in Dutch industry for over a century.
A tugboat rests in the harbor next to a calm waterway, surrounded by buildings and gentle hills under a blue sky.
A tugboat waits in the IJmuiden lock, part of the North Sea Canal system that connects Amsterdam to the open sea.
A harbor with a tugboat, surrounded by grass and city buildings in the background.
A white building with a green roof stands by a calm waterway, surrounded by boats and lush vegetation.
A red lighthouse and a modern building stand at a harbor entrance, surrounded by water and grassland.
A sailboat glides on the blue sea, surrounded by green hills and yellow flowers in the foreground.
Two wind turbines tower over a hilly landscape filled with green shrubs and a clear sky in the background.