Maassluis

Maassluis was founded around 1340 as a settlement by a lock in the river Meuse, hence its name consists of Maas (Meuse) and sluis (lock). The settlement was first known as Maeslandsluys, as the settlement was part of Maesland. During the Eighty Years' War, work was started on defence works for the town, but the city was captured by the Spanish before the works could be completed.

Maeslandsluys was separated from Maesland in 1614, after which it switched its name to Maassluis, which is how we know the city today. Maassluis requested city rights in December 1813 and gained said rights two months later. During the nineteenth century, Maassluis became known for its shipping company L. Smit & Co. and maritime salvaging company W.A. van den Tak, which after fusing together became known as Smit-Tak. This maritime history is still visible in modern-day Maassluis.

By car:

From Amsterdam and The Hague, follow the A4 heading for Schiedam and Rotterdam. Follow this highway until you're at Knooppunt Kethelplein (Kethelplein Interchange), where you head for Vlaardingen and Hook of Holland. This will get you onto the A20 heading for Maassluis, which is reached by using exit 7 on the A20, followed by a turn to the left.

From Bergen op Zoom, follow the A4 heading north. The A4 will have different names throughout this route (A59 and A29), but all you need to do is head straight heading for Rotterdam. Once you find yourself on the end of the A29, shortly after exit 20, head west onto the A15, shortly after which you turn north onto the A4 again. This will get you to Knooppunt Kethelplein (Kethelplein Interchange), where you head for Hook of Holland (Hoek van Holland). Again, Maassluis is found by using exit 7 followed by a turn to the left. If you were to come from the east of the country, then follow the A15, which starts in between Arnhem and Nijmegen.

By public transit:

To get to Maassluis via public transit, you can use trains to get to Schiedam Centrum NS . From here, either take bus 126 to Maassluis, 712 to Maassluis West or 713 to Hook of Holland or, should you travel to Maassluis in the second half of 2018 or later, use the Rotterdam Metro's line B to get to Maassluis, which has three stations to its name: 1 Maassluis B , 2 Maassluis West B and 3 Maassluis Steendijkpolder B . Of these, the first mentioned will most likely be most useful to you, as it is the closest to the city centre.