The siege of Alkmaar was a turning point in the Eighty Years' War. The burghers of the Dutch city of Alkmaar held off the Spanish between 21 August and 8 October 1573, with boiling tar and burning branches from their renewed city walls. On 23 September William the Silent followed up on a request by Cabeliau dating from the beginning of the siege and ordered the dikes surrounding Alkmaar to be breached, thereby flooding the polders in which the Spanish troops were camped, like the Achtermeer polder. This forced the Spanish commander, Don Fadrique, the son of the hated Alva himself, to retreat and the last Spanish soldiers left on 8 October 1573.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Copyright: Creative Commons 3.0
| | Public | Catalan • Danish • Dutch • French • German • Italian • Spanish
Select one of the most popular activities below or refine your search.
Discover the most beautiful and popular trails in the area, carefully bundled into appropriate selections.
Source: Rijksmuseum
Copyright: Creative Commons CC0 1.0
Select one of the most popular categories below or be inspired by our selections.
Discover the most beautiful and popular attractions in the area, carefully bundled in appropriate selections.
Source: Rijksmuseum
Copyright: Creative Commons CC0 1.0
With RouteYou, it's easy to create your own customised maps. Simply plot your route, add waypoints or nodes, add places of interest and places to eat and drink, and then easily share it with your family and friends.
Route planner

<iframe src="https://plugin.routeyou.com/poiviewer/free/?language=en&params.poi.id=5636457" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
© 2006-2026 RouteYou - www.routeyou.com