Fortified cities in the Low Countries

One of the most discernible characteristic of historic cities is that they are in some way fortified. Te right to erect defenses was an important city right that also directly freed the people within that enclosure of certain feudal laws and obligations. Some cities grew up around older fortifications such as castles and hill forts. This is especially true of the hilly areas of the Low Countries. In most of the area that comprises Luxemburg, Belgium and the Netherlands cities were actively founded by the feudal lord, sometimes as a payback for a service granted by a community, but mostly to expand the economic activity within his lands. The oldest cities to be granted city rights were Namur, Thuin, Tongeren and Tournai (in Belgium) and Luxemburg City in the tenth century. The first city with a charter within the Netherlands was Stavoren on the Vlie river in Frisia in 1058. Most cities were founded during the 13th, 15th and 16th centuries.

The earliest cities especially in the low lying areas were protected by a combination of earth banks and ditches. The bank would be topped with a palisade. Only in those areas where natural stone was available -Luxemburg, the east of Belgium and the far most southeast of the Netherlands- would stone walls be constructed. The exact nature of the cities fortification would depend on the resources available, the lay of the land and the drainage situation. Cities built in a flood plain would build wide defensive moats and high earthworks rather than heavy and expensive stone walls. As military force developed stronger defenses needed to be constructed resulting in the erection of brick walls behind or on top of an embankment. In most cases an area on both sides of the city wall would be kept clear to provide for better movement for the defenders on the inside and a better view of the enemy on the outside. In a water rich location there would be a secondary ditch on the inside of the walls.

As military techniques developed the old wall became of little use to the new cannons using gunpowder. In the post-medieval period elaborate defensive schemes were developed in the Low Countries and France. The old walls became the backdrop of complex systems of fortifications with earth banks, dry moats, wet moats and brick walls. The evolution of this new style of fortification started in northern Italy and was quickly picked up by Dutch and French engineers. In the new system walls were lowered and replaced or curtained with wide earth banks. In front of the inner defenses ravelins and ramparts were constructed with ditches. The fortifications spread outward with protected batteries for cannons. The engineers placed a heavy emphasis on geometry, to allow for interlocking fields of fire, resulting in star shaped fortifications with multtiered hornworks, bastions, ravelins and bulwarks dissected by wet and dry moats. 

All important cities in the Low Countries were mantled with star shaped fortifications. The two most important designers, each having their own system, were the Flemish Simon Stevin, the Dutch Menno van Coehoorn and the French Sebastian Le Prestre de Vauban. In some cases market towns and villages would be fortified to provide a strategic stronghold. Famous examples include Couvorden, Bourtange, Stevensweert, Arcen, Den Helder, Blokzijl, Oudeschans, Nieuweschans, Willemstad, Hellevoetsluis, Fort Bath, Terneuzen, Retranchement, Zandvliet, Zevekote, Lo, Wervik, Menen, Baumont, Walcourt, Philippeville,  Mariembourg and Vitron.

Most of the medieval cities were fortified, these are shown with the orange outline. Some cities never built walls or defenses; sometimes only a wooden gate would be erected to indicate the city limits. Especially around the edges of the Low Countries star forts (shown as solid orange blocks) were developed from a village of market town.

Winter blooms

The mild weather in the past months has meant that plants known to flower in the winter time actually are! Snowdrops will brave snow and cold weather but stand out a lot better against the browns and greens of this year's winter. The Camellia has been a favourite of gardeners ever since they were first brought from the far east. Before then they were only known from depictions on porcelain and in art and thought to be fantastical flowers born from the artists mind. Most are not very hardy but this white Camellia has even survived the past severe winters and is looking especially glossy and healthy this winter season. The Laurestine (Viburnum tinus) is widely grown for its fragrant winter flowers in places with mild winters. This bush, planted against a wall, seems to be perfectly happy and is flowering profusely this year.

Water cities in the Low Countries

The Low Countries are well known for their water-rich historic cities. Many old cities are located on water, especially rivers. There are 285 places with historic city rights in the Low Countries. This is not including market towns (Smalsteden en Vrije Steden) and freedoms (Vrijheden). Of the 191 settlements with city rights in the Netherlands no less than 158 are located on water. Of these 8 cities are located on a canal (Delft being the most famous). 34 cities are located on the sea or an inlet. All of these were important trade cities such as Flushing (Vlissingen), Horn (Hoorn) and Stavers (Stavoren). The rest of the water cities are all located along rivers. Only 33 cities are located on a large river, i.e. the Rhine, Leck, Meuse, New Meuse, IJssel and Waal. The other 63 cities are located on a smaller river. The cities of Utrecht and Leiden belong in this category as the Kromme Rijn / Oude Rijn (Crooked Rhine and Old Rhine) they are located on has been dammed (1122) after silting up. Other examples include Gouda (Gouwe), Breda (Aa), Bois-le-Duc (Dommel), Buren (Korne), Leerdam (Linge), Woerden (Oude Rijn), Weesp (Vecht), Amersfoort (Eem), Zwolle (Zwarte Water) and Groningen (Drentse Aa).

Of the 93 settlement with historic city right in Belgium only 14 are not located on water. The best known of these being the city of Spa. Of the 79 cities located on water 5 are situated on a canal (Damme, Gistel and Veurne) or an empoldered inlet of the sea (Oostende and Nieuwpoort). Only 12 cities are located near a large river. In contrast to the Netherlands only two large rivers flow through Belgium: the Scheldt and Meuse. Especially in the hilly east cities located on a river are situated on higher ground and not in the floodplain (Liège being a well known example). Most cities, however, are located in the low-lying parts of the country -thus following the same pattern as in the Netherlands. 66 cities are located along smaller rivers. Most of these cities are located in the floodplain of medium size rivers like Demer, Dender, Leie, Nete and Zenne. This category includes famous cities like Bruges, Ghent, Halle, Louvain, Brussels, Mechlin and Ypres. Only a few cities are located on higher ground along medium sized river like Lesse, Sambre and Vesdre. Well known are Rochefort, Mons and Namur.

In Luxemburg all historic cities (8) are located in high ground near a river, more often than not in a river bend. The cities of Remich and Grevenmacher are located on a large river (the Moselle), all others are situated on a smaller river. The most famous being Luxemburg City on the Alzette, Vianden on the Our and Diekirch on the Sûre.

A map of the Low Countries showing all the historic settlements with city rights. Those cities not situated along water are indicated in red. The cities located on the sea or on an inlet -shown as a blue ring- are all located in Zealand and the Flemish coast and around the former Zuiderzee. The cities on a canal (light blue dot) closely follow the distribution coastal cities, except for Winschoten. In dark blue the cities along major rivers are shown. Most cities are situated along small rivers - indicated here in bright blue.

Water cities: a typology

Human settlement is often related to water. This can be the edge of a lake, a well, the bank of a river or the shore of the sea. As the availability of enough fresh drinking water is important for the survival of the species this is hardly surprising. As settlements developed some were granted a special status or surpassed other settlements because of a particularly favourable position. As these urban settlements grew they differentiated. Some cities grew naturally as a result of the cultivation of the area around it. Some cities grew as result of the foundation of a power base like an abbey, castle or high status residence. Other cities grew because they had been granted special rights, for instance to hold markets, to administer justice, to staple certain goods and commodities, to weigh goods, to mint coins, to tax passing traders, vessels and carts and to build defenses.

Some cities are located on the edge of the water, for instance on a lake, on the sea or on a large river. Other cities spread on both sides of a watercourse. This can be a natural river but also an artificial water channel (one only needs to think of the city of Delft). Often cities grew where a smaller watercourse joined a larger one; for instance a brook flowing into a larger river, a river flowing into the sea, etcetera. Some cities were built on an island. This can be a natural island (think of Manhattan), but also one or more artificial islands (Venice is the best known example).

Water cities can be characterized by their spatial relation to a specific body of water. There are waterfront cities that edge a large body of water like a lake, the sea or wide inlet or river. This type of water city borders onto the water on one side with parallel patterns on that side as well.

A more common location of a water city is on one or both sides of a watercourse. This can be a natural brook or small river, but also a manmade drainage channel or canal. These waterside cities can be located on high ground next to a river or brook, but also in the floodplain. Dam cities are a special category within the latter. Damming the watercourse regulates water levels behind it and can prevent frequent flooding when combined with moats and canals that encircle the urban area.

The third category of water city is also located along a watercourse, but specifically at the junction of two streams or canals. These water junction cities can be located at the junction of two streams of similar width or at the junction of a smaller stream with a bigger one. Such cities can be located on higher ground but also in the floodplain.

The last type of water city is surrounded by water on all sides. Such island cities can be located on a large single island or on many separate islands. These clusters of urbanised islands can be both natural (Stockholm) and artificial (St. Petersburg).

For many people a true water city has to have visible surface water present throughout the urban area. This means that waterfront and waterside cities on higher ground and cities on large islands are not seen as a water city but as a city by the water. Especially cities characterised as water junction cities, waterside cities in the floodplain -including dam cities- and cities built on several small island (especially when artificial) are to most people true water cities. For instance London (the City) is a city by the water and Rotterdam like all dam cities is a water city.

Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA

The current station Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena started life as Station Bijlmer in 1971 on the Rhijnspoorweg between Amsterdam and Utrecht. Both the platforms and the station buildings were built in wood. Soon after it was decided to change the level track into a high track. In 1976 the new high track situated on an embankment was opened. Between the railway tracks two new tracks for the metro were built. In 1977 the new station was opened for the traveling public. It was the only train station on a main line not designed by a railway architect, instead is was designed as one of the stations on the metro line from the centre of Amsterdam to Gein. The bus station was moved to the east of the station to better connect to the elevated roads of Amsterdam-Zuidoost.

In 2000 work began on the third incarnation of the station under the new name Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA. The number of tracks was doubled to 8, expanding train traffic to Amsterdam and also allowing for a direct connection to Schiphol Airport. The bus station moved back to its former location on the west side of the train tracks. From 2006 the new station was completely opened for all users. The new station is over 100 metres long and extends over the Arena Boulevard, the central axis of the leisure complex west of it with the Football Stadium of Ajax, the Heineken Music Hall, Ziggo Dome (a square box so a misappropriated name), Villa ArenA and the Pathé Cinema-complex. On the eastside lies the largest shopping centre of Amsterdam: Amsterdamse Poort.