History

History

A red loading hopper on the Willemskade defined the image of Harlingen's Nieuwe Willemshaven for decades. It formed the link between the sea and the mainland. This loading hopper was probably built in the early 1900s and first served for years in the port area of Rotterdam. In its original shape and characteristic red colour, the hopper was taken over in the last century by the Harlingen company Spaansen BV and placed on rails on the Willemskade at the Willemshaven. The loading hopper was used for transhipment of sand, shells, grain, gravel and other bulk goods from the holds of ships. Trucks drove under the hopper and were loaded. Anyone visiting the harbour could not miss the red-painted loading hopper on the Willemskade. Many visitors photographed this hopper as a defining object of the port area. Among the residents of Harlingen, the loading hopper was known as 'De zandtrechter van Spaansen' (the sand hopper of Spaansen).

Due to the relocation of business activities, this loading hopper had to make way in 2004 and disappeared to a storage site. Fortunately, it did not fall prey to the smelting furnaces and retained its original state. A unique object thus disappeared from the Willemskade. For years, no one looked at it anymore.

In 2014, the idea was made public to turn the loading hopper into a luxury, comfortable hotel room. It remained an idea and first sketch, but it never came to fruition. The plan then faded into the background. In January 2018, Marcel and Linda Bambach took the plan out of the freezer and brought it back to life.

The historic red loading hopper was placed back on 5 September 2018 in its old, familiar spot: the original rails of the Willemskade. But now no longer as a loading point for trucks, but as a sustainable, luxurious and comfortably furnished one-room hotel with much privacy and a unique view of the Wadden Sea and the Nieuwe Willemshaven.

The Willemshaven

The Willemshaven has been used as a loading and transhipment port since the end of the nineteenth century. The area had great potential due to the location of the port of Harlingen. In recent years, the Willemshaven changed from a busy industrial port to a harbour where the municipality is busy making the area an attractive tourist port area. In the various inner harbours, a large number of historic and recreational ships are moored. Harlingen has the largest brown fleet in the Netherlands. On the Willemskade there are various buildings that match the character of the area, including the warehouse building from 1903.

At the Willemshaven, a replica of the Willem Barentsz was built at the Willem Barentsz shipyard. This is a reconstruction of the type of ship with which seafarers sailed to Nova Zembla. Now that the ship is completed, it can be used for tourist-recreational purposes, historical research and training.

Harlingen

Harlingen is one of the Dutch port cities and is located on the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden Sea. As one of the eleven Frisian cities, it is part of the skating route. The centre has about 600 different monuments. Thanks to its illustrious nautical past, you can see the rich legacy of special canal houses and canals. Harlingen has a pleasant centre with a considerable number of shops, restaurants, cosy cafés and forms the backdrop for small and large-scale events such as The Tall Ships Races: an armada of cultures. You smell the scent of tanned sails and ropes, see an armada of three-masters, sailors peering into the harbour from ships, and hear the sound of ship horns. During the Tall Ships Races Harlingen 2019, all of Harlingen was in nautical spirits. After two exciting races, eighty sailing ships finished in Harlingen, where they stayed for four days and formed the backdrop of this nautical spectacle. Visitors could take a look at the Tall Ships and enjoy the many free performances given in various places in the city.

The Harlingen Fishery Days

The Frisian port town is dedicated to the Fishery Days at the end of August every year. Visitors are treated for four days to music, dance, song, folklore, gastronomy, markets, fairground, culture and sporting activities. The event on the Wadden Sea attracts many tens of thousands of visitors every year, with Saturday being the highlight.

The Harlingen UITagenda shows a complete overview of all events and other activities in and around Harlingen, with fast search and filter options, so you're quickly informed about activities, events, recreation, art, culture and museums in and around Harlingen.