Drommedaris

The 'Drommedaris' is the southern gateway of the city Enkhuizen. It is the best known building in Enkhuizen.

The building was erected as a defense work at the entrance to the Old Harbor, and was originally on the Westfriesian dike; this ran from the north; over the Breedstraat along to the Zuiderdijk. The stretch of dike near the Drommedaris was later excavated for the construction of the new haven. The artillery cellar and the room on the ground floor in the building date from 1540 and were the original building. Both rooms contain cannon holes along the walls in niches where there were cannons that could cover the harbors. The upper room has a rib vault. Above the building on the roof was a structure containing prison cells that can still be found on the first floor in the current building. So the bottom of the first floor was the roof of the original building. Above the gate is a cell for those condemned to death, in which oak wooded dates and sometimes poems are carved. Outside above the entrance to this gate, the weapon of the Emperor was carved out of white stone with the text below: "Blessed is the City and highly praised, who prays for war in times of peace." In a wooden bell chair on the roof a small bell hung to ring for announce of closing the gate.

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