Den Helder is known as a naval city. Less known is the connection between the city and the Rijkswerf. For generations the yard offered employment. In the peak years, 2,000 people were employed, about 10% of the local labor force
The yard gave many families in Held a livelihood. The heavy work was offset by a meager, but steady, income. Only in the course of the 20th century did the working conditions improve. However, in good and bad times the yard gave the workers a sense of security. For outsiders, the yard remained a closed world at a distance.