Heusden Sides with William of Orange
As elsewhere in the northern Netherlands, a new era dawned in Heusden toward the end of the sixteenth century. In 1572, the town was struck by a major fire, which also damaged the medieval town hall, including the municipal archives.
Not long after, the Catholic faith was renounced: in 1577, the city council sided with William of Orange. The monks fled the city, and St. Catherine’s Church fell into Protestant hands.
A New Line of Defense
The town’s strategic location, on the border between Holland and Brabant, made it necessary in the early stages of the Eighty Years’ War to adapt the defenses of walled and moated Heusden to keep out the Spanish troops of Philip II.
In 1578, the States of Holland commissioned Adriaen Anthonisz van Alcmaer to design a new line of defense for Heusden.
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Heusden Becomes an Impregnable Fortress
The construction of these new fortifications, which consisted almost entirely of earthen ramparts, took nearly twenty years. The ramparts were equipped with small, pentagonal bastions, and a new, wide moat was created around the entire complex.
The urban development within the old walls remained intact, and the castle and harbor, which had been located outside the walls, were incorporated within the ramparts. Heusden became an impregnable fortress.
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More space for the city
This 16th-century fortification was soon replaced by entirely new fortifications. Construction began in 1613 and was completed around 1620. These defensive structures are depicted on Blaeu’s famous map from 1649.
Under the influence of the renowned engineer Simon Stevin, the Heusden fortress was not only equipped with eight large bastions but also took on a highly regular and strategic layout: the left and right halves are almost mirror images of each other. This redesign also provided the city with more space.
From Fortress to Open City
South of the Demer Canal, a new residential neighborhood was built, which was named “Nieuwstad.” Over the centuries, the ramparts have undergone minor modifications on a regular basis.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Heusden fortress lost its military function. The ramparts fell into disrepair and were used as community gardens or for grazing livestock. Heusden took on the character of an open city.
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