NIEUWPOORT

After the French occupation in the disaster year 1672, Nieuwpoort was transformed into a fortress and incorporated into the Old Dutch Waterline, a continuous defense line from Muiden to Gorinchem.
A sluice in the middle of the fortress was intended to allow water from the river in order to flood the lands of Alblasserwaard. Above that sluice, the town hall was built in 1697. Because of this, farmers could not reach the sluice to prevent flooding for military reasons. The damage to their land and property would be enormous after all.
The defense of the main Dutch cities using waterlines dates back to the 17th century. The idea behind it was to flood (inundate) large areas of land in order to prevent enemy armies from passing through. No more than half a meter of water was put on the lands, but due to the presence of ditches, trenches, and canals, such an inundation area was extremely treacherous. For an army with heavy equipment, there was no way through. The water also could not be too high, otherwise, one could sail over it with flat-bottomed boats: the system was therefore very precise.

By the photo: The inundation sluice with the town hall in Nieuwpoort

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