Introduction

Up until the beginning of the 14th century the land up to as far as the village of Maasland was repeatedly swamped by floods. The Maas estuary was very wide and was transected by so-called flood channels. These channels ran perpendicular to the area now known as Maassluis. Prior to 1346 the inhabitants gathered to help construct a seawall called the “Maasdijk” (Maas Dyke). This seawall ran from Rotterdam along to Maassluis and then up to the northwest. The “Noorddijk” and “Zuiddijk” (North and South Dykes) of present-day Maassluis made up part of this seawall. Proof of this is shown on an antiquated map (drawn on prepared cowhide) dating from 1346, which clearly shows that the seawall was much lower in height than it is today. This seawall provided the land with adequate protection from the sea but in order to be truly functional it also had to work the other way round – the extra water in the polders also had to be discharged out to sea. Initially 13 sluices were made in the seawall. Three of these “air locks”, as they were once called, were constructed in Maassluis. At first they were no more than holes in the dyke which could be “shut off” at high tide by lowering vertical, moveable slides. The slides could be re-opened during low tide to precipitate the flow of extra water out of the polder. This process is known as “ventilating”. Proper sluices were built much later – the Monster, Wateringen and Booner Sluices of Maassluis can stillbe seen today.

The settlement of lock keepers and fisherman, which originally inhabited the area around the sluices, was known as Maaslandsluis (Maasland Sluice). This area stretched as far as the neighbouring municipality of Maasland. Maassluis became independent in 1614 and quickly evolved as a successful fishing port, significant for both the offshore and river fishing industries. The Depression and World Wars One and Two unfortunately brought an end to the “golden era” and the fishing industry disappeared from Maassluis forever. The sea-going tugs and shipping pilotage service, however, have definitely left their mark on Maassluis.

Two highlights of this historical tour are the “Veerstraat” (Ferry Street) and “Hoogstraat” (High Street) – the buildings found here are among some of the oldest in Maassluis. The “Veerstraat” is especially worth a visit as itgives an authentic look at how Maassluis used to look in the olden days.