Sunset at the IJmuiden Pier by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

IJmuiden is a port city in the municipality of Velsen, in the Dutch province of North Holland. The North Sea Canal is connected to the North Sea there via the locks. In the port mouth lies the Fort Island, part of the Stelling van Amsterdam.

IJmuiden has four ports: the Vissershaven (letter code of the ships IJM) with a fish auction, the Haringhaven, the IJmondhaven and Seaport Marina IJmuiden (a port for recreational navigation). In terms of transhipment, IJmuiden is one of the largest seaports in the Netherlands. Only the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam are larger. IJmuiden is also the largest fishing port of the Netherlands. From the fishing port of IJmuiden also sails a ferry to Newcastle.

The piers of IJmuiden are a special attraction. There are two piers, allowing ships to safely enter the port of IJmuiden. They offer protection against the sideways rolling waves. The original piers were constructed at the same time as the IJmuiden locks. In the 1960s, the piers were lengthened a bit due to the larger ships and have since reached a length of approximately 4.3 km. The piers can be walked on unless the wind blows harder than 5 Beaufort. Then they are closed off with a fence.

A pier is a fixed dam or wooden pile construction (palisade) that runs from the beach into the sea for a distance. Originally, a pier had the function of a harbor head - a left and right pier - to allow ships to enter and exit the harbor safely and quietly. The end of a pier then carried a light stand or sometimes a lighthouse. The construction on piles leaves the water movement under the pier virtually undisturbed so they have no function as a breakwater.

Later, a pier was also constructed to allow tourists to walk a distance "across the sea". At the end of the pier there was sometimes another structure, for example a café-restaurant or an observation room. The name "walking head" used to be common for this.