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in
Gorinchem. Further investigation revealed that it was a fortification tower with wall remnants from the late 14th century, predating the construction of the Blue Tower. However, in 2017, on the initiative of the developer planning new construction at this site, a second supplementary architectural historical investigation was conducted. It concluded that it was indeed a castle wall that also played a role in city defense.
247:, ordered the expansion of the castle and the construction of a bridge over the Merwede. This was all because he was embroiled in a power struggle with his father, Philip the Good. Their dispute was settled again in 1465, and his ambitious plans were adjusted. Only two sturdy towers were completed. The largest was clad on the outside with
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Van der Aa reported that it was not until 1831 that the last remnants of the walls disappeared from sight. These remnants gave rise to a local legend about a wicked castle lady who, during times of famine, had the unpleasant habit of feasting and scrubbing her courtyard with milk until God had enough
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In 1983, while building new houses at
Krabsteeg-Schuttersgracht, foundation remnants over nine meters wide were discovered. The construction of the new houses had to be temporarily halted because the walls could not be removed. Eventually, pile-driving was achieved using diamond drills. Parts of the
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During excavations in
November 2016, the foundation of a tower and a city wall were found. The remains of the tower and wall are located Buiten de Waterpoort, where a café once stood. The discovery received much publicity, as the castle of Charles the Bold still captures the imagination of everyone
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decided to build a new castle on the southwestern side of the city. Little is known about this castle. It was built on the
Merwede as part of the medieval fortress and had to withstand both sieges from the riverside and potential attacks from the city itself. For its construction, a city gate and a
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above vaulted cellars, which housed the prisons. According to 17th-century records, the castle had walls 36 feet thick (approximately 11.3 meters), tapering to 29 feet (approximately 9.1 meters) at the top. From a reconstruction of the structure built atop the tower in 1524, it appears that this
583:
H.F.G. Hundertmark, Een nieuw kasteel voor de graaf van
Holland. Kasteel de Blauwe Toren te Gorinchem, in: 'Die hofstat daer dat huys op plach te staan', Recent onderzoek op het gebied van kastelen en buitenplaatsen in Nederland, Stichting Kastelenstudies Nederland Publicatiereeks-4, Zwolle,
576:
Taco
Hermans en Edwin Orsel, De verbouwing van de Blauwe Toren te Gorinchem in 1522–1530, in: 'Zij waren van groote en zware steenen', Recent onderzoek op het gebied van kastelen en buitenplaatsen in Nederland, Stichting Kastelenstudies Nederland Publicatiereeks-1, Wijk bij Duurstede,
590:
Merlijn Hurx, De Blauwe Toren in
Gorinchem: een vorstelijk kasteel aan de Merwede, in: 'Zij waren van groote en zware steenen', Recent onderzoek op het gebied van kastelen en buitenplaatsen in Nederland, Stichting Kastelenstudies Nederland Publicatiereeks-1, Wijk bij Duurstede,
380:
Around 1999, the
Gorinchem fortress was renovated. To reinforce the dike, a sheet pile wall was driven into Bastion VI. To preserve the existing castle foundations, ground borings and a test trench were dug first, after which the path of the wall was adjusted.
339:, had nearly the same dimensions. The Dutch historian Ruud Meischke describes the construction of the towers as a pinnacle of late medieval fortification and foundation techniques. Multiple Burgundian master builders were possibly involved in its construction.
629:
Ludolph Smids, Schatkamer der
Nederlandse oudheden; of woordenboek, behelsende Nederlands steden en dorpen, kasteelen, sloten en heeren huysen, oude volkeren, rievieren, vermaarde luyden in staat en oorlogh, oudheden, gewoontens en lands wysen, Amsterdam
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used their square tower as a key element in his own drawing, which he mainly based on the descriptions of
Abraham Kemp, while also allowing his imagination to run free. His depiction was copied in several publications in the centuries that followed.
545:
643:
L.R. van Wilgen, Inventariserend Veldonderzoek door middel van proefsleuven en Archeologische Begeleiding Plangebied ‘Buiten de Waterpoort 2-6’, Gorinchem, Gemeente Gorinchem, Evaluatierapport, SOB Research, Heinenoord,
91:. The complex, which stood there between 1461 and 1578, gained an almost mythical status thanks in part to descriptions by the Gorinchem chronicler Abraham Kemp and the discovery of its foundations in 1983.
594:
Merlijn Hurx, 'Een alten wonderlijcken structure ende fortresse', De Blauwe Toren van Karel de Stoute in Gorinchem, in: Bulletin Koninklijke Oudheidkundige Bond (KNOB), jaargang 116, nummer 4, Delft, 2017.
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measurement refers to the thickness of the ring. The walls themselves were likely much thinner. The total diameter of the castle was about 46 meters at the base, narrowing to about 42 meters at the top.
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D.P. Hallewas, Gorcum | Krabsteeg; vondst muurresten mogelijk in verband Blauwe Toren, Archeologische Kroniek Zuid-Holland 1983 in: Regionaal Historisch Tijdschrift Holland, 16e jaargang no. 6, 1984.
603:
G.C. Labouchère, Aanteekeningen over monumenten te Gorinchem, Schelluinen, Woudrichem, Loevestein en Zalt-Bommel, in: Oudheidkundig Jaarboek van de Nederlandsche Oudheidkundige Bond, Utrecht, 1931.
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W.G. van Reenen, Bouwhistorische ondersteuning bij een archeologische opgraving Buiten de Waterpoort 2-6, Gorinchem, Van Reenen onderzoeksbureau voor bouwhistorie, Leerdam, 2017.
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170:
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H.A. van Goch, Van Arkel's Oude Veste, Geschied- en Oudheidkundige aantekeningen betreffende de stad Gorinchem en hare voornaamste gebouwen en instellingen. Gorinchem, 1898.
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It seems that the dimensions of the Blue Tower represented some sort of ideal measurement. Even the most famous 14th-century European princely round castles, such as the
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H.F.G. Hundertmark, Vestingwerk of kasteel?, Aanvullend bouwhistorisch onderzoek archeologische opgraving Buiten de Waterpoort 2-6 te Gorinchem; Oss; 2017
21:
597:
H.L. Janssen, J.M.M. Kylstra-Wielinga & B. Olde Meierink, 1000 Jaar kastelen in Nederland, Functie en vorm door de eeuwen heen, Utrecht 1996.
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It was located at the southwestern side of the city center, at the level of the current Tolsteeg, Duivelsgracht, and Buiten de Waterpoort by the
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227:, had expropriated houses and estates. The area of the complex probably covered a significant part of the land that later served as the
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Martin Veen, De Blauwe Toren, in: Oud-Gorcum Varia, tijdschrift van de historische vereniging "Oud-Gorcum", nummer 15, Gorinchem, 1998.
279:. The construction contract was signed on 1 September 1523, by carpenters Jacob Snouc from Gorinchem and Joos Janssone de Keyser from
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640:. De eerste bouwfase van het kasteel (1412–1460), jaarboek 2017-deel 33 Historische vereniging "Oud-Gorcum", Gorinchem, 2017.
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Merlijn Hurx, Architect en aannemer, De opkomst van de bouwmarkt in de Nederlanden 1350–1530, Nijmegen/’s-Gravenhage, 2013.
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R. Meischke, De gothische bouwtraditie, studies over opdrachtgevers en bouwmeesters in de Nederlanden, Amersfoort, 1988.
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283:. The stone suppliers mentioned were Michiel Yselwijns and Anthonis de Vleeshouwere. The work was completed in 1530.
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and, as punishment, caused her and the entire castle to vanish into the Duivelsgracht or Duveltjesgracht (English:
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Abraham Kemp, Leven der Doorluchtige Heeren van Arkel ende Jaar-Beschrijving der Stad Gorinchem. Gorinchem, 1656.
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paid the church of Gorinchem 17 Wilhelmusschilden and 5 Flemish groats because he and his predecessors,
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Sjeng M. Dautzenberg, Archeologisch prospectie onderzoek aan Bastion V te Gorinchem, Amsterdam, 1999.
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In 1578, the tower was demolished as it did not fit into the new fortification plans designed by
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Reconstructie uitgevoerd door Taco Hermans in kader van zijn kandidaats scriptie TH Delft 1982
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Plan indicating where the location of the Blue Tower is within Gorinchem by Arie Saakes (2018)
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271:, construction of the distinctive roof with stepped gables began in 1522. The architect was
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A.J. van der Aa, Aardrijkskundig woordenboek der Nederlanden, Gorinchem, 1836–1851, Deel 4.
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Arie Saakes is an employee of the archaeological depot of the municipality of Gorinchem
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Resten van de voorburcht van de beruchte verdedigingstoren gevonden in Gorinchem
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G. Braun en F. Hogenberg, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, Liber Primus, Keulen (1572)
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Former circular castle in Gorinchem, seat of Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy
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The castle originally consisted of two floors: a ground floor that included a
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old foundations remain underground, allowing for potential future research.
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nearby grain mill at the southern end of Molenstraat had to be removed.
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Braun en Hogenberg, deel 1, plaat 21 Goricum, Nobile Hollandiae Oppidum
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351:(1558) and was also depicted (in square form) in the city views book
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Archeologie in Gorinchem | Buiten de Waterpoort 2-6 (2016-2017)
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The floor plan of the Blue Tower can be recognized on a map by
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to the east of the city center of Gorinchem was demolished.
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Archeologie in Gorinchem | Bastion VI, Blauwe Toren (1999)
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H.F. van Peer, Sterke Gorcumse Verhalen, Goudriaan, 1975.
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Demolished buildings and structures in the Netherlands
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The Blue Tower as a quadrangular tower on a view by
419:Van Lennep & Hofdijk, deel 1, pagina 101-134
347:The tower appeared on the Gorinchem city map by
110:The Blue Tower on a map by Pieter Sluyter (1553)
243:In 1461, Charles of Charolais, later known as
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146:(1644) with possibly the Blue Tower included
665:Archeologie in Gorinchem | Krabsteeg (1983)
166:The Blue Tower by Jacobus Schijnvoet (1711)
203:) (1402–1412), the castle of the Lords of
55:View of the Blue Tower (mid 16th century)
676:Website van Werkgroep Vesting Gorinchem
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331:(diameter approximately 44 meters) in
323:(diameter approximately 45 meters) in
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275:, the personal architect of emperor
269:Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands
615:Merkwaardige kasteelen in Nederland
142:Dutch Riverscape by a follower of
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83:. It was a princely residence of
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446:Van der Aa, deel 4, pagina 677
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491:Meischke, pages 101 and 118
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617:, deel 1, Amsterdam, 1854.
638:Op den Slot tot Gorinchem
482:Janssen et al., page 106.
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691:Castles in South Holland
531:Van Wilgen en Van Reenen
353:Civitates Orbis Terrarum
195:After the Arkelse Wars (
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343:The Blue Tower depicted
69:Kasteel de Blauwe Toren
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37:51.826944°N 4.974167°E
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372:Archeological founds
209:Willem VI of Holland
191:Willem VI of Holland
672:van de Blauwe Toren
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329:Queenborough Castle
265:Margaret of Austria
259:Margaret of Austria
221:Willem V of Holland
42:51.826944; 4.974167
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670:Foto en tekeningen
500:Hallewas, page 322
365:Jacob van der Ulft
349:Jacob van Deventer
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174:The Blue Tower by
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156:Jacob van der Ulft
154:The Blue Tower by
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120:Jacob van Deventer
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355:by cartographers
325:Palma de Mallorca
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263:On the orders of
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176:Charles Rochussen
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81:the Netherlands
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307:Architecture
301:Devil’s Moat
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249:Petit Granit
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509:Dautzenberg
357:Georg Braun
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685:Categories
556:Literature
389:References
253:Blue Tower
233:Blue Tower
61:Blue Tower
25:51°49′37″N
706:Gorinchem
281:The Hague
277:Charles V
215:In 1440,
77:Gorinchem
28:4°58′27″E
363:(1580).
287:The end
231:of the
158:(1656)
122:(1558)
102:History
98:river.
96:Merwede
630:(1711)
178:(1854)
644:2017.
591:2017.
584:2022.
577:2017.
410:Smids
205:Arkel
197:Dutch
65:Dutch
359:and
333:Kent
223:and
73:keep
59:The
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