Historisch Museum Den Briel

Brielle (pronounced [ˈbrilə] ), also called Den Briel in Dutch and Brill in English, is a town and historic seaport in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New Maas. The former municipality covered an area of 31.14 km2 (12.02 sq mi) of which 3.59 km2 (1.39 sq mi) was water. In 2021 its population was 17,439. The former municipality of Brielle also included the communities of Vierpolders and Zwartewaal. On 1 January 2023, the municipality of Brielle merged with Hellevoetsluis and Westvoorne into the new municipality of Voorne aan Zee.

The Capture of Brielle by the Watergeuzen, on 1 April 1572 marked a turning point in the uprising of the Low Countries against Spain in the Eighty Years' War. Militarily the success was minor as the port of Brielle was undefended, but it provided the first foothold on land for the rebels at a time when the rebellion was all but crushed, and it offered the sign for a new revolt throughout the Netherlands which led to the formation of the Dutch Republic.

The Brielse Meer ("Lake Den Briel") is a long, narrow lake between the Dutch estuary islands of Voorne and Rozenburg in the province of South Holland. The lake takes its name from Den Briel, a town on its shore. It was formerly a branch of the Meuse known as Brielse Maas (Den Briel Meuse), which ran from the Botlek strait near Rotterdam into the North Sea. The first stretch, between Botlek and the former confluence with the Het Scheur branch, was alternatively known as (the last stretch of) Nieuwe Maas. When the Brielse Maas silted up in the late nineteenth century, the Nieuwe Waterweg ship canal was constructed (1872) and Het Scheur was separated from the Brielse Maas by a dam. As a precursor to the Delta Works sea barrier constructions, the Brielse Maas was closed off at both ends in 1950, becoming the Brielse Meer.

Vierpolders is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Voorne aan Zee, and lies about 5 km north of Hellevoetsluis. The name of the village, literally "four polders", refers to the municipality, that consisted of the polders Nieuwland, Veckhoek, Oud-Helvoet, and Oude-Gote. The village and the municipality were previously also named "Nieuwland". The village was first mentioned in 1843 as "de Vierpolders, gezegd Nieuwland".The Dutch Reformed church was built in 1721 to replace a medieval church which was probably a wooden church. It was extended between 1857 and 1858. It is currently in use by a funeral home.Vierpolders was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1980, when it became part of Brielle.

Rozenburg is an island in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Rozenburg Island was formed centuries ago from several sand bars in the Meuse estuary. In 1568, construction started on the first set of dikes and in 1586 the land known as Roosenburgh was leased to Dirk Ariensz. Bisdommer and Son, the first permanent inhabitant of Rozenburg. In 1950, the stretch of the Nieuwe Maas river south of Rozenburg (also locally called Brielse Maas) was dammed off at both ends of Rozenburg Island, thereby forming Brielse Meer and connecting it to Voorne-Putten Island. Beginning in the same period, most of the island was given over to industrial enterprise, part of the Port of Rotterdam (Botlek and Europoort). When these sea ports were being planned in the 1950s, the councils of Rotterdam and Rozenburg made the arrangement that Rotterdam would lead the development of the ports and industry, while Rozenburg would look after the housing of the expected population increase. The village of Blankenburg on the island had to be completely removed to make way for new canals and industry. The new housing developments were concentrated around the old village centre of Rozenburg on the Scheur branch. In a short period its population rose from 3,500 to over 14,000.

Stenen Baak is a now-deactivated lighthouse northeast of Oostvoorne, near to the town of Brielle, in the Dutch province of South Holland. In several nautical sources of the 19th Century it is also referred to as Stone Beacon or Stone Baak. It protected the entrance to the Brielle harbour, a safe haven protecting ships from the tides and waters of the North Sea. The harbour is formed by the island of Voorne-Putten and the Brielse Meer and the rivers Oude Maas, Spui and Haringvliet. Brielle received city rights in 1306, developed the harbour during this time up until the fiefdom was added to Holland in 1371. The lighthouse itself was added in 1650. A fixed light during its time of operation, the lighthouse was visible in good weather up to a distance of four miles. It was deactivated in 1850.

Voorne-Putten is an island between the North Sea, the Brielse Meer and the rivers Oude Maas, Spui and Haringvliet in the province of South Holland. Voorne-Putten consists of the two former islands Voorne (the larger, western part) and Putten (the smaller, eastern part). It used to be separated by the river Bernisse which silted up and made the two islands one. It has 160,000 inhabitants (2008). Recently the riverbed has been dredged, and the two islands have been reformed. The North Sea coast of Voorne is a valuable nature reserve (sand dunes), even though the northern part of the area has lost much of its estuarine character with the building of the Maasvlakte, an extension of the Port of Rotterdam, in the 1960s. The rest of the island is a mostly agricultural region. The largest town is Spijkenisse. Voorne-Putten consists of the following municipalities: Voorne: Voorne aan Zee Nissewaard - Bernisse (Heenvliet, Abbenbroek, Oudenhoorn, and Zuidland) Putten: Nissewaard - Bernisse (Geervliet and Simonshaven) and SpijkenisseVoorne-Putten is separated from the island of Rozenburg on the north by the Brielse Meer (dam and bridge) from IJsselmonde island on the north-east by the Oude Maas (bridge and metro tunnel) from Hoeksche Waard island on the south-east by the Spui (ferry) from Goeree-Overflakkee island on the south by Haringvliet (dam)

Tinte is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Voorne aan Zee, and lies about 6 km north of Hellevoetsluis. The statistical area "Tinte", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 537 (2011).

Kruiningergors is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Voorne aan Zee, and lies about 9 km west of Maassluis. The statistical area "Kruiningergors", which also can include the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 160.

Europoort (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈøːroːpoːrt], English: Eurogate, also "Europort") is an area of the Port of Rotterdam and the adjoining industrial area in the Netherlands. Being situated at Southside of the mouth of the rivers Rhine and Meuse with the hinterland consisting of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and partly France, Europoort is one of the world's busiest ports and considered a major entry to Europe. The port handled 12 million containers in 2015.The Europoort area is very heavily industrialised with petrochemical refineries and storage tanks, bulk iron ore and coal handling as well as container and new motor vehicle terminals. Europoort is situated on the South bank of the Nieuwe Waterweg, same as the Maasvlakte area. On the Northern bank of the Nieuwe Waterweg one could find Hook of Holland (in Dutch: Hoek van Holland).

The Nieuwe Waterweg ("New Waterway") is a ship canal in the Netherlands from het Scheur (a branch of the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta) west of the town of Maassluis to the North Sea at Hook of Holland: the Maasmond, where the Nieuwe Waterweg connects to the Maasgeul. It is the artificial mouth of the river Rhine. The Nieuwe Waterweg, which opened in 1872 and has a length of approximately 20.5 kilometres (12.7 mi), was constructed to keep the city and port of Rotterdam accessible to seafaring vessels as the natural Meuse-Rhine branches silted up. The Waterway is a busy shipping route since it is the primary access to one of the busiest ports in the world, the Port of Rotterdam. At the entrance to the sea, a flood protection system called Maeslantkering has been installed (completed in 1997). There are no bridges or tunnels across the Nieuwe Waterweg.

Nieuwenhoorn is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is located in the municipality of Voorne aan Zee, about 3 km north of Hellevoetsluis city centre.