Fortress sights in The Netherlands
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A
Waag
The very grand, multiturreted Waag (Weigh House) dates from 1488, when it was part of the city’s fortifications. It looked more like a castle in those days, fronted by a moatlike canal and built into the old city walls. From the 17th century onwards it was the main weigh house. The surgeons guild, which occupied the upper floor, commissioned Rembrandt’s famous The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp (displayed in the Mauritshuis museum in Den Haag). The masons’ guild was based in the tower facing the Zeedijk; note the superfine brickwork. Public executions took place at the Waag, but more recently it served as a fire station and a vault for the city’s archives. A bar-restaurant…
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B
Schreierstoren
This prominent brick tower dating from around 1480 – the oldest of its kind still standing – was once part of the city’s defences. Its name comes from an old Dutch word for ‘sharp’, for this sharp corner jutted out into the IJ. Tourist literature prefers to call it the ‘wailing tower’ (from schreien, to weep or wail) and claims that sailors’ wives stood here and cried their lungs out when ships set off for distant lands. There’s a fake plaque dedicated to the women inside, in the attractive cafe. Outside a plaque commemorates Henry Hudson’s sailing from here to the New World.
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Sint Pietersberg Tunnels
Much of Maastricht is riddled with defensive tunnels dug into the soft sandstone over the centuries. The best place to see old tunnels is Sint Pietersberg, a Roman fort 2km south of Helpoort. This is a really beautiful area, pastoral and peaceful - the fort is an arresting sight peeking over the charming hillside - and it's a very relaxing walk from town. If you must, take bus 29, which goes past the fort from Vrijthof.
The Romans built the Northern Corridor System Tunnels throughout the hills over a period of 2000 years; at one stage, the tunnels extended under the Netherlands-Belgium border. Thirteen species of bats have been found living below the surface.
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C
Gevangenpoort
The Gevangenpoort is a surviving remnant of the 13th-century city fortifications. It usually has hourly tours showing how justice was dispensed back then, but is under renovation throughout 2010.
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D
Ramparts
The remains of 13th-century ramparts and fortifications can be found across the Maas in the new Céramique district.
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