Nieuwersluis

In the war against the Spaniards, Nieuwersluis received a fort, and in 1672 the fort held up against the advancing French armies. From 1673, Nieuwersluis was part of the fortification of the Dutch Waterline, and in 1850 the fort became part of the New Dutch Waterline. Within the fort, there were also farms, and Nieuwersluis could therefore be seen as a fortress village.
Across the Vecht in Nieuwersluis stands the former Pupils' School from 1877, established under the patronage of King William III. Above the central front door is the name 'Pupils' School', and above the two front doors of the corner buildings is the W of Willem.

A maximum of 250 boys aged 12 and up received lessons there in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and history, swimming, and skating. When they turned 16, they went into military service. Usually, the parents could not afford to pay for their upbringing.

The concept of 'pupils' originated in the Dutch East Indies, where Dutch soldiers often had children with indigenous women. These children remained in the encampment. In Gomnong, the 4th Battalion established a Corps of Pupils in 1845, with expenses covered by the officers. Children received instruction from the age of 5, both academically and militarily. Gradually, this experiment became more successful and also became known in the Netherlands, making it the precursor to the Pupils' School in Nieuwersluis.

Later, this became a barracks and was named the Military Penitentiary Center Nieuwersluis. Soldiers who were punished were 'sent' to Nieuwersluis. The men had to run to Utrecht to swim there, and they underwent heavy training with obstacle courses, etc.

There is a second building, located further back, which is currently used as a Penitentiary Institution for women.

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