Monster, South Holland

Ter Heijde is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 6 km west of The Hague. The area "Ter Heijde", which also includes the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 690, mostly elderly people. Ter Heijde is a popular beach-resort. It has a lifeboat station of the KNRM, the Dutch equivalent of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Ter Heijde is known for the Battle of Ter Heijde (also known as The Battle of Scheveningen). This was the final battle, in 1653, of the First Anglo-Dutch War, which saw the death of Admiral Maarten Tromp. In remembrance of the battle there is a monument in the village. In 2003, 350 years after the battle, the Tromp-festival was held. In 1677 Prince William of Orange and his recently married wife Mary (the future King William III and Queen Mary II of England) were forced to land at Ter Heijde, Rotterdam being ice bound.

Polanen Castle was a castle located in today's Monster, South Holland in the Netherlands. The ancestral home of the Polanen family, it suffered a siege in 1351 and was demolished in 1394. It was replaced by a small manor somewhat to the south.

's-Gravenzande is a town in the province of South Holland, in the Netherlands. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) southwest of The Hague. Until 2004 it was a separate municipality and covered an area of 20.77 km2 (of which 3.38 km2 water). The town of 's-Gravenzande had 15,241 inhabitants in 2011. The built-up area of the town was 2.7 km2, and contained 5,879 residences. The statistical area "'s-Gravenzande", which also can include the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 119,750. As of 1 January 2009, 's-Gravenzande is the largest town in Westland with 19.428 inhabitants.The former municipality of 's-Gravenzande also included the township of Heenweg.

The sand engine (also called Sand Motor) is a type of beach nourishment where a large volume of sediment is added to a coast. The natural forces of wind, waves and tides then distribute the sand along the coast over many years, preventing the need for repetitive beach nourishment. The method is expected to be more cost effective and also reduces the repeated ecological disturbances caused by replenishment.The first sand engine was constructed off South Holland in the Netherlands. A 128 ha hook-shaped peninsula was created between Ter Heijde and Kijkduin in 2011 at the request of the Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland.

Heenweg is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 7 km northwest of Maassluis. In 2001, the town of Heenweg had 601 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.076 km², and contained 228 residences. The statistical area "Heenweg", which also can include the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 690.

Rolpaal is a hamlet in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 9 km southwest of The Hague. The statistical area "Rolpaal", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 40.

Naaldwijk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnaːltʋɛi̯k]) is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 10 km southwest of The Hague. Naaldwijk lies in the heart of Westland. The largest economic sector is greenhouse horticulture. The largest flower auction site in the world, operated by FloraHolland, can be found in the nearby village of Honselersdijk. Naaldwijk was previously a municipality in its own right, covering an area of 25.33 km² (of which 0.23 km² water). It included the towns Honselersdijk and Maasdijk. On 1 January 2004 the municipality of Naaldwijk was merged with the neighbouring municipalities De Lier, 's-Gravenzande, Monster, and Wateringen to create the municipality of Westland. Naaldwijk is now the administrative capital of Westland. The village of "Naaldwijk" has a population of around 15,440. The statistical area "Naaldwijk", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 17,370.

Poeldijk (52°1′N 4°13′E) is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 8 km southwest of The Hague. In 2001, the village of Poeldijk had 5335 inhabitants. The built-up area of the village was 1.1 km2, and contained 3400 residences. The statistical area "Poeldijk", which also can include the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 7080.

Westland (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɛstlɑnt] (listen)) is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It covers an area of 90.74 km2 (35.03 sq mi) of which 9.47 km2 (3.66 sq mi) is covered by water and had a population of 108,603 in 2019. Towns and other settlements: De Lier, 's-Gravenzande, Monster, Naaldwijk, Wateringen, Heenweg, Honselersdijk, Kwintsheul, Maasdijk, Poeldijk, and Ter Heijde.

Westland is a region of the Netherlands and lies in the western part of the Province of South Holland. It consists of the municipalities of Westland and Midden-Delfland, and also of the town of Hook of Holland (which is a part of the municipality of Rotterdam). Westland is well known for its horticulture in glasshouses, hence its nickname the glass city.

During May 10 to May 12, 1940, Ockenburg, a small Dutch auxiliary airfield near The Hague, was the scene of bitter fighting between German airborne forces and Dutch defenders during World War II. A German formation of one airborne company of Fallschirmjaeger Regiment 2 and a battalion of Air landing troops of IR.65 (22.ID) was envisaged to take the small Air Force Base (AFB) by surprise attack. The strike was part of the grand strategy to seize the Dutch city of the Hague, where the Dutch Royal Family, Cabinet and Military headquarters were situated. The German battle-plan incorporated large combined airborne and airlanding elements to land at the large Dutch AFB's at Valkenburg (South Holland) and Ypenburg and a smaller party at Ockenburg. These three AFB's were situated east, south and west of the Hague. Around 8,000 Germans were scheduled to land and march onto the Hague, snatching the Dutch Royal Family and beheading the Dutch military by capturing their command-centres. The German air-operation against the Hague failed utterly. At Ypenburg AFB the German airborne battalion and follow-up air landing units initially gained some successes, but they were rapidly pushed into defence. Many were captured or killed. Some hundreds managed to sustain Dutch counter-attacks isolating themselves in the hamlet Overschie. At Valkenburg the Germans first managed to seize the airfield running the Dutch defenders off. But after re-grouping the Dutch countered the German pocket and pushed the about 1,000 men strong German presence into a tight defence in the village Valkenburg itself. The Dutch wouldn't manage to force the surviving Germans into surrender though. The landing at Ockenburg too resulted in initial German seizure of the AFB during which 25 Dutch defenders were KIA. But within short the German landing party - no more than around 400 men - were driven off of the pitch and pushed into the dune area between the AFB and the North Sea. In a daring attempt to break out during the following days, the German force (led by the commander of 22.ID, Lieutenant General Hans Graf von Sponeck himself) managed to outmanoeuvre quite substantial Dutch formations and eventually reach the German held pocket at the hamlet Overschie. At that position a combined remnant force of around 1,000 German invaders managed to hold out until being relieved by German ground-forces in the evening of May 14, 1940, after the Rotterdam Blitz.

Hook of Holland (Dutch: Hoek van Holland, pronounced [ˈɦuk fɑn ˈɦɔlɑnt] (listen)) is a town in the southwestern corner of Holland, hence the name; hoek means "corner" and was the word in use before the word kaap – "cape", from Portuguese cabo – became Dutch. The English translation using Hook is a false cognate of the Dutch Hoek, but has become commonplace (in official government records in English, the name tends not to get translated and Hoek van Holland is used). It is located at the mouth of the New Waterway shipping canal into the North Sea. The town is administered by the municipality of Rotterdam as a district of that city. Its district covers an area of 16.7 km2, of which 13.92 km2 is land. On 1 January 1999 it had an estimated population of 9,400. Towns near "the Hook" (Dutch: "de Hoek") include Monster, 's-Gravenzande, Naaldwijk and Delft to the northeast, and Maassluis to the southeast. On the other side of the river is the Europort and the Maasvlakte. The wide sandy beach, one section of which is designated for use by naturists, runs for approximately 18 kilometres to Scheveningen and for most of this distance is backed by extensive sand dunes through which there are foot and cycle paths. On the north side of the New Waterway, to the west of the town, is a pier, part of which is accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. The Berghaven is a small harbour on the New Waterway where the Rotterdam and Europort pilots are based. This small harbour is only for the use of the pilot service, government vessels and the Hook of Holland lifeboat.