Discover Vlaardingen

Vlaardingen combines natural and recreational areas with a rich fishing and urban history. If you are looking for a hotel in Vlaardingen, you can plan your stay around the themes that interest you most: open landscapes, archaeological interpretation, historic technology or the city’s maritime heritage.

Experience nature in the Broekpolder

The Broekpolder is a nature and recreation area covering a quarter of the municipality of Vlaardingen. Within the area lies De Ruigte, a nature reserve with open spaces, bodies of water and diverse vegetation. A herd of Scottish Highland cattle lives there. The varied landscape features give the nature area its distinctive character, while the cattle form a special part of this setting.

For children, Klauterwoud offers an adventurous play area in nature. This means that, alongside landscapes and wildlife, nature play and physical activity are also distinct themes. The three places each have a different focus: the Broekpolder is the larger nature and recreation area, De Ruigte is a nature reserve within it, and Klauterwoud is a play area for children.

Archaeology and historic technology

Masamuda is an educational archaeological open-air site in the Vlaardingse Broekpolder. Reconstructed buildings from prehistoric times and the Middle Ages illustrate the distant past in an accessible way. The time span between these eras makes Masamuda a starting point for exploring different periods of history, rather than just one historical subject.

Molen Aeolus offers another way to explore history. This authentic gallery windmill dates from 1790. Its technical principle combines traditional wind power with mechanical energy used to grind grain by hand. This landmark therefore brings together a specific year of construction and a tangible working process.

Fishing history and maritime heritage

The herring history of Koningin Wilhelminahaven is part of Vlaardingen’s maritime heritage. The VL.92 Balder also bears witness to the fishing industry: it is originally a zeillogger, a sailing vessel used for drift-net herring fishing. The ship is moored at Westhavenkade 54 in the centre of Vlaardingen, opposite the museum. For the city’s history, this place brings together a named vessel, its original use and a specific waterfront location.

Museum Vlaardingen traces its origins to the founding of the Vlaardingsche Oudheidkamer en Visscherijmuseum in 1920. In addition, three areas in Vlaardingen have been designated as nationally protected townscapes and have national cultural-historical significance. This designation and the maritime history tell different stories about the city’s cultural heritage: the protected townscapes represent cultural-historical significance, while the harbour and ship bring the herring fishery into focus.

Discover the city’s history on foot and from the tower

The “Water” historic city walk explores Vlaardingen’s fishing past and also looks at the city’s relationship with water and the regulation of harbour water levels. Expeditie Vlaardingen explores the history of the city centre through audio, video and augmented reality. Both experiences cover the city’s history but have different focuses: “Water” connects fishing with water management, while Expeditie Vlaardingen presents the history of the centre through digital media.

Walking routes in Vlaardingen pass through historic streets and by murals. They complement the city’s themed experiences with streetscapes and public art. When planning, you can compare the themes: would you rather explore fishing and water, learn about the history of the city centre, or take in historic streets and murals?

A guided tour of the tower of the Grote Kerk takes you up to the approximately 38-metre-high “Trans”, with views over Vlaardingen and the surrounding area. The tower dates from 1746 and houses the bellows of the church organ as well as the Oranjecarillon. The climb is up steep stairs. If you would like to plan a visit, check the dates in advance.

The themes range from nature reserves and archaeological and technological history to fishing, townscapes and digital city experiences. If you are looking for a hotel in Vlaardingen, you can first consider which of these aspects you would most like to shape your stay.

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