By Ines Keane
Most city gates keep people out. The Koppelpoort in Amersfoort keeps out people and manages water at the same time, which is a stranger job and a better reason to go and look at it.
The town in brief
Amersfoort is in the province of Utrecht.
The Koppelpoort
The gate is a land gate and a water gate joined together. The ArrivalGuides travel page says it dates from around 1425. A travel feature on Exploring the Netherlands says it controlled both who came in and out and the water levels inside the city, and that the Eem river officially begins here.
ArrivalGuides says the guild Gilde Amersfoort runs guided tours that include the interior, in several languages.
The tower
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren is 98 metres tall, according to Wikipedia and ArrivalGuides, and everyone calls it Lange Jan, “Long John”. ArrivalGuides says visitors can climb it.
Piet Mondriaan’s birthplace
The Mondriaan House is the painter’s birthplace. ArrivalGuides says it has temporary contemporary art shows. Exploring the Netherlands calls Piet Mondriaan a founder of abstract art and a contributor to the De Stijl movement.
The boulder
A large boulder, hauled into the city and later set up as a monument, is the reason Amersfoort is nicknamed the Keistad, the Boulder City. Exploring the Netherlands says it now stands at the corner of Stadsring and Arnhemsestraat. The weights and dates we found do not agree, so we give none.
Quick answers
What is the Koppelpoort? According to ArrivalGuides, a combined land gate and water gate in Amersfoort, dating from around 1425.
How tall is Lange Jan? Wikipedia and the travel guide ArrivalGuides both give 98 metres for the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren.
Why is Amersfoort called Keistad? The nickname Boulder City comes from a large boulder hauled into the city and later set up as a monument.
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