HollandRoute: Industrial Heritage Week
We are just some days away from the start of the annual Industrial Heritage Week in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland. From 20 to 24 October, it offers an exciting mix of music, dance, theatre, state-of-the-art industries and creative activities. The event focuses on the hard, sometimes rough strip of land along the North Sea Canal, which has become the region's industrial lifeline since its construction in the 19th century.
The massive hydraulic engineering project started in 1865, cutting through Noord-Holland at its narrowest point and thus connecting the port of Amsterdam westwards with the North Sea at IJmuiden. The 43-kilometre canal, designed for seagoing vessels, makes Amsterdam and its port a leading European industrial hub. It takes advantage of its wide range of businesses, excellent infrastructure on land, on water and in the air, a powerful digital performance and the diversity of living and working environments in a metropolitan setting that combines industry and culture.
The Industrial Culture Week perfectly reflects this symbiosis with its multi-faceted programme. The activities on offer range from a children's steel safari, boat tours and a visit to a recycling plant and other industrial facilities to theatre plays and film screenings, and of course also include museum exhibitions. With a few exceptions, all offers are free of charge.
Week van de Industriecultuur