Naarden is a fortress – Star-shaped town and part of the municipality of Gooise Meren in the Dutch province of North Holland.
Naarden’s first testimony dates from the reign of Emperor Otto I. The city is mentioned in Naruthi form. Naarden probably received his city rights around 1300 from Count Florent V however, the city was already granted the right to hold a market well before this date.
On December 1, 1572 the city, which had rebelled against the Spanish crown, was taken by the Spanish troops of Philip II killing all its inhabitants and destroying the medieval walls. New fortifications of Italian trace were built following a more modern design and further improvements were added throughout the seventeenth century. The city has preserved the fortifications and the moat that surrounds it, being one of the few in the Netherlands that still retains them.
Naarden consists of two parts: the old fortress town and the villa quarters that emerged after 1900, which form a whole with the neighboring Bussum. Naarden lies between the Gooimeer, which was formerly part of the Zuiderzee, and the forest and moorland “Het Gooi”.
Naarden-Vesting is one of the best preserved fortified towns in Europe and especially famous for its unique star shape. The fortress has six bastions, a double enclosure and double canal belt. There is good walking around the defenses. The large, well-restored fortress, most of which date back to the 17th century, is for the most part freely accessible.
Access : Coordinates:52.295278, 5.162222 / Naarden is approximately 30 minutes by car from Amsterdam, or 20 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal Station to Naarden-Bussum / There is a regular train connection from Schiphol to Naarden-Bussum station.
Highlights :
- The Netherlands Fortress Museum : (in the Bastion Turfpoort). Here the visitor can see what a fortress looked like during use, and furthermore view the collection of objects from 1350 to 1945. During the frequent activities in the museum, both inside and outside, visitors can also experience what happened in a fortress
- The St. Vitus is a large Gothic basilica from the 14th and 15th centuries. Of great importance are the wooden vaults with vault paintings from the 16th century.
- Naardermeer : West of the city is still the Naardermeer, an important bird sanctuary with cormorants, spoonbills (a subfamily of the ibis) and other water birds. From time to time it can be visited with a guide.
- The former city scale, built in 1615, houses a Comenius Museum. A mausoleum for this thinker is located in a former chapel from the 15th century. The Comenius museum. Connected to the Jan Amos Comenius mausoleum. Jan Amos Komensky was a Moravian theologian, philosopher, reformer, pansophist and pedagogue. Comenius argued for education for everyone, both boys and girls and all classes. Born in the Czech Republic. At the St. Vitus there is also a statue of Comenius.
- The Ministerkwartier, a neighborhood with beautifully painted wooden houses./ The Spanish House. Now Libra Museum. / The Town Hal / The Utrechtse Poort. Built in 1877 as a replacement for an earlier gate.There are still some beautiful old houses in the city center
Activities :The Waterline path runs around the fortress, making the size of the works clearly visible. / shopping.
Take a boat trip through the canals / Walking tours / hiking, cycling and riding trails and a golf course. / sightseeing / Architecture Photography.
Go next : Weesp , a Dutch town in the municipality of Amsterdam in the province of North Holland / Bussum , a small town south east of Amsterdam. / Hilversum , a medium-sized city in the Gooi area of North Holland, the Netherlands. Once called the Garden of Amsterdam. / De Haar Castle ,located in Utrecht, Netherlands, near the village of Haarzuilens.
