Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: drawbridge

Heusden is located on the river (Bergsche) Maas. The history of the town began around the year 1200 with the establishment of an urban settlement. During the Eighty Years’ War ( Tachtigjarige Oorlog : 1568-1648) against the political and religious hegemony of of Spain, massive fortifications - with earthwork ramparts with bastions, moats and ravelins - were built on the orders of Willem van Oranje . Heusden became an important garrison town with thousands of soldiers. Towards the end of the World War II Heusden was seriously damaged. The fortress has been fully restored since 1968. The restoration of the town was based on the 17th century drawings made by the famous Amsterdam cartographer Joan Blaeu. The city harbour of Heusden was built during the construction of the fortifications after 1580. In 1904 the inner harbour was filled in to create a city park, but in the 1970’s it was restored to its original form. Nowadays it is one of the picturesque corners of Heusen with a white drawbridge and a black postmill (one of three on the ramparts).

‘Kasteel Gemert’ (Caslte Gemert) is dating back to the year of 1391. It was inhabited by knights of the German Order and was built by order of Commander Hendrik Reinaart van Husen.. Originally the castle was a defensible fortress. From the 14th to the 20th century it was often renovated and extended. In 1740 the (current) new main building was constructed, consisting of three wings surrounding a courtyard. In 1794, the French took possession of the castle and the German Order was dissolved by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. At the end of the 19th century the castle and grounds were sold to Jesuits. Afterwards it was used as a monastery by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit; they built a chapel on the grounds. Due to a lack of new recruits, the brotherhood finally left the castle a couple of years ago. Nowadays the castle is owned by a private investment company and is waiting for a new future. There were restorations on the main buildings going on during our visit (November 2015). The grounds were closed and I only could make a picture of the drawbridge and the 17th century gatehouse.

Drawbridge in the village of Zuiderwoude; a small settlement with about 300 inhabitants, which is located less than 10 km’s from Amsterdam. The wooden bridge, over a stream called ‘Zwet’, dates back to the Middle Ages and was restored in 1983.

Marken is one of the most visited tourist sights in the Netherlands. It is a former island in the so called 'Zuiderzee'. Marken is well-known for its characteristic green coloured wooden houses, pictoresque harbour and traditional costumes. The 'Wilhelminabrug' - ca. 1850 - is one of the five wooden drawbridges in Marken and is situated in the 'Kerkbuurt' (Church Area), with the Protestant Church (1904). See for more info about Marken: members.virtualtourist.com/vt/tfr/1/312/4/1ba6f2/

Fall along the Griendtsveencanal with the drawbridge nearby the Ericaweg, one of the four original drawbridges, dating back to 1905. More info about the bridge (Dutch): rijksmonumenten.nl/monument/523254/ophaalbrug+ericaweg/griendtsveen More info about Griendtsveen: members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/240aff

This drawbridge over the river Regge is called 'Giethemer Kerkbrug' and was built in 1907. People of the hamlet Giethmen used the bridge as a short cut, when going to church in Ommen (kerkbrug = church bridge).