The Netherlands, Province Noord Brabant, city Bergen op Zoom:
In the busy Westersingel street,
the old medieval city gate is the Gevangenpoort (Prisoners gate) or Lievevrouwepoort (our mother marie's gate),
the oldest monument of Bergen op Zoom.
The medieval gate formed part of the fortress wall.
The building has two robust towers of limestone.
Today, this fortress is being used as an exhibition space, museum, for the archaeological foundation.
Medieval garrison gate
Over the centuries, although many city gates have been lost,
Bergen op Zoom has managed to hold onto its original one.
As such it is one of the oldest city gates in the Netherlands still in existence.
Bergen op Zoom’s city gate was built in 1350 as part of the fortifications.
In 1484 it lost that purpose when extension meant the gate stood inside the fortress.
Since it was already in use as a prison, the gate wasn’t demolished.
“The Prisoners Gate is one of the oldest existing city gates in the Netherlands.”
That is the summarised history
placed old fotos and new of how it now looks as a ref 2
