Gorinchem, Medieval fortress city in South Holland, Netherlands.
Gorinchem is a town in the province of South Holland, where the rivers Merwede and Linge meet. The streets inside the old city walls run around a central square area, and from the ramparts you can see the surrounding waterways and polders.
Fishermen and farmers settled here around the year 1000, and the settlement received official town rights in 1322. The fortifications with eleven bastions were completed in 1609 and protected the town through several regional conflicts.
The name Gorinchem comes from "Goor," meaning riverbank, and "chem," meaning home, describing how the first settlers lived along the water. Today visitors see this connection still at work in harbors, small quays, and homes built close to the river edge.
The town is reached via two highways and a train station with regular connections to other Dutch cities. The bastions and ramparts are easy to explore on foot or by bicycle.
The eleven bastions from 1609 form together the best-preserved example of a star fortress in the Netherlands. This recognition was officially confirmed in 2021.
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