The city and here surroundings where classified as a Verteidigungsbereich by the German's like IJmuiden-Hoek van Holland-Vlissingen, especially because of the naval facilities. In this Verteidigungsbereich you can find a lot of old forts that the Dutch and the Germans used for making fortifications and strongpoint's for there defence. Along the coast you can find coastal artillery bunkers, at the south side there was a landfront established near the village Julianadorp from the west to the east coast.