A tugboat navigating the calm waters in IJmuiden, surrounded by lush grass and urban buildings under a clear sky. Industrial landscape in IJmuiden featuring towering steel mills and smokestacks against a grassy hill.
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
Silhouettes of wind turbines and industrial buildings at sunset in IJmuiden, with tall grass in the foreground.
A serene industrial waterfront in IJmuiden at sunrise, featuring a calm water body reflecting buildings and machinery under a partly cloudy sky.
A cargo ship navigates the water near IJmuiden, with a wind turbine visible in the background and tall grass in the foreground.
Industrial landscape of IJmuiden, featuring smoke stacks, cargo ships, and a river reflecting clouds. Green grass in the foreground.
Industrial landscape in IJmuiden featuring towering steel mills and smokestacks against a grassy hill.
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 docked at the IJmuiden harbor, reflecting in calm water with buildings and greenery in the background.
A tugboat waits in the IJmuiden lock, part of the North Sea Canal system that connects Amsterdam to the open sea.
A tugboat navigating the calm waters in IJmuiden, surrounded by lush grass and urban buildings under a clear sky.
A scenic view of IJmuiden's harbor featuring a charming white building, sailboats, and lush greenery along the water's edge.
A scenic view of IJmuiden featuring a red lighthouse and a modern lookout tower by the water. Green hills and buildings in the background.
A sailboat glides across the calm sea near IJmuiden, framed by lush greenery and sandy dunes under a clear sky.
Wind turbines on a hillside in IJmuiden, surrounded by green vegetation and a cloudy sky above, with the sea in the background.