One sunny day in Heusden
Heusden is a charming small city that is surrounded by a wall. It was not my first visit here (as my in-laws live only 30 minutes away from here) but I haven't walked on top of the fortifications before. I was excited as I heard that there are lovely views of the Meuse (Maas) river and the city. Today, I will not show you the city but its surroundings...
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The first defensive wall was built in the 14th century and the building of the fortifications began in 1579. It was completed in 1597. However the walls were damaged over the centuries and in the 19th century there was nothing left of them.
Luckily, the fortifications were restored and today it reflects the original state from the 17th century. How is that possible? It was rebuilt based on a map from 1649. The renovation was successful and Heusden won the highest European award for restoration projects in 1980 called Urbes Nostrae.
In the past there were four gates that would allow people to enter the city. Today, we can see two reconstructed gates - de Veerport and de Wijkse poort and remains of the third gate - de Herptse poort. Of course they are not used to enter the city anymore 😊
We started our walk at de Veerport..
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Before we climbed up the small stairs to get to top of the fortifications we crossed the gate to get close to the river..
I was surprised to see so many luxurious yachts. Later I learned that some of them are still for sale - just in case some of you would be interested 😊
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We also saw a couple of knotted willow trees. To me this is one of the many symbols of Holland.
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Heusden is popular among tourists but you can also see many people from the region enjoying the city and its surroundings. It's a biking and water sports paradise.
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There are three windmills in Heusden but don't be fooled by their appearance as they are not that old. They were built after the World War II.
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We walked around until we came to the city garden which you can see below..
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The garden was quiet as all tourists were around the mills and in the city center. There are various plants, herbs and flowers and a couple of benches were you can sit down and enjoy the nature around you...
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After a while we got back to the walls and continued our walk. The path will lead you close to the houses so you can see people chilling our in their gardens, barbecuing or maybe reading a book...
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When you turn around you will see the windmills and yachts again. At this point we were even thinking that we could maybe consider moving to The Netherlands one day...
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The last part of our walk was through this large green area. I must admit that I haven't walked on the grass for too long and I definitely have to do it more often 😊
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Last glimpse on the city before we head back to the car...
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On the way to the car we saw a house decorated with this funny wreath. It was probably one of the most creative ideas that I've seen in a long while..
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Heusden is a perfect place for a day trip if you spend your vacation in The Netherlands. It is an authentic place and it feels truly dutch. And if you ever go to Heusden, don't forget to buy a coffee-mokka liqueur that is produced there. It tastes like a candy 😊 I always have some at home..
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
Martina