Church at the Harbour

The 'Church at the Harbour' has an eventful history. In the 14th century there was a Norbertine church on this spot with a special altar to the Virgin Mary.
We know that this church also served as a boundary marker. This was not an unnecessary luxury in Waalwijk, because the town was surrounded by disputed borders with Holland. This was the result of a clever deal in 1232 by Duke Henry I of Brabant, who bought Waalwijk from the Dutch lord Diederik van Altena: the Duchy of Brabant thus gained access to the Oude Maas.
In 1326 an attempt was made to defuse the border disputes by means of an agreement in which the border with Besoijen was determined as follows: "Uuter bocht te Drongelen ter halver Maase beginde, reedewijs treckende op te kerck te Waelwijck ter noorder doer in ende te zuyder doer uut ende hence voort opt Noormans putte." Since then, the back half of the church has been on Dutch territory, the front half on Brabant territory.
In 1450 the construction of a larger church began. That lasted until 1520. In 1580 the church was severely damaged by acts of war. In 1617 the building was partially restored. The tower and the baptistery were not rebuilt, because they had stood on the Dutch (State) territory of Besoijen.
Nowadays the 'Church at the Harbour' is used by the Protestant Congregation Waalwijk.

Historische Routes