Huis te Merwede

Huis te Merwede is a castle ruin in Dordrecht located where three rivers meet: the Oude Maas, Noord, and Merwede. The remaining tower features walls two meters thick and once commanded the waterways at this strategic junction.

Built between 1307 and 1335, the fortress was created to control river traffic in the region. It sustained major damage during the 1418 siege and later faced a catastrophic flood that reshaped the surrounding landscape.

The ruins reveal how medieval builders created fortifications to protect river trade routes using water as a natural defense. Today visitors can see the traces of this military engineering and how waterways shaped settlement patterns in this region.

The site is reached via a walking route called Heer Daniëlspad with information boards along the way explaining the history. Since the location sits beside river waterways, visitors should prepare for variable weather and wear suitable footwear for the riverside terrain.

The Sint-Elisabethsvloed flood of 1421 was a massive flood event that submerged the site and kept it surrounded by water for nearly six centuries. This natural disaster dramatically reshaped the local landscape and left its mark on the region's geography for generations.