Kasteel van Sluis, Medieval fortress ruins in Sluis, Netherlands
Kasteel van Sluis is a medieval fortress of which the inner courtyard and defensive foundations remain visible today, located within the northern section of the city's historic walls. The layout shows where thick stone walls once stood with multiple towers positioned to guard and monitor the town.
The fortress was founded in 1386 as a strategic stronghold to control the flow of goods and power in the region during medieval times. Over the following centuries, it endured conflicts and changes until it eventually fell into decline, leaving only its ground foundations visible today.
The castle's inner courtyard still functions as a gathering space in the city, where people pass through daily and locals remember it as the place that once held rulers and shaped the town's identity.
The ruins are best viewed from the elevated inner courtyard in the northern section of the city walls, which is open and freely accessible to visitors. You can walk through at your own pace and get a sense of where the fortress once stood.
Hidden beneath the fortress walls ran two parallel passages that connected the towers and featured arrow slits for shooting at attackers from protected positions. These concealed routes allowed defenders to move quickly between locations without being exposed to enemy fire.
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