In the center of Leiden (The Netherlands) there is a beautiful fortified hill.
It is one of the oldest structures of its kind in the Netherlands and dates back to the early Middle Ages.
The fort that is built on the hill is free to access. After you have climbed the stairs you can enter it through a portal.
When you go throught the port and turn around you have a beautiful view over the scenery including the giant Church of St. Pancras.
This is also my entry for the #mononomad challenge
The entrance of the fortress is decorated very nicely. The symbols refer to the city and its rich history.
Here is one of the decorations up close. It's a knights armour and a shield held by two lions.
I had to look it up, but this Gerard van Hoogeveen that is mentioned was a Dutch architect and civil engineer who played a role in the restoration of the Burcht van Leiden in the 19th century.
There is a small path that goes all around the fortress. In the thick brick walls of the fortress are loopholes. These were used by archers or musketry to shoot on attackers. Since the fortress was on a hill it was quite difficult to attack it.
But the structure was never directly attacked in a significant siege or battle. While it was built as a defensive structure, it primarily served as a refuge for the local population during times of unrest.
On the inside you can see it is't even that big. There is a small square with some trees and there is no roof of such kind.
As you can see in the picture above there is a ring on top of the fortress where you can go round. When you climb a staircase you can make a walk on top of the fortress. It gives you a beautiful view over the city of Leiden.
I hope you liked my visit if de Burcht of Leiden.
FriendlyMoose
Creating blogs about photography, cycling, gardening, craft beer and more...
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