A Son of the Rock

On our way back from Ypres to the north of The Netherlands we stopped off at the small town of Naarden.

It’s a stunning place, built as a fortress surrounded by fortifications which stick out into a canal acting as a moat giving the whole the appearance of a many pointed star – and apparently only the one road in or out crossing the moat/canal.

It has typical Dutch streets. The day we visited was a national holiday by the time we got there it was late afternoon so it wasn’t very busy.

Right by the church was this statue of the man known as the father of modern education, Jan Comenius, who is buried in Naarden:-

Here’s a flavour of the fortification earthworks and surrounding canal/moat:-

Some of the houses had an Art Deco feel, especially in the stained glass, but which may have been just Dutch:-

There was more than a hint of deco about this doorway canopy and fanlights in “rule of three”:-

I think this may have been the old gateway to the town:-

A delightful wee place, but it’s not as unique as you might think. There is another such canal/moat surrounded Dutch town. Its near the German border and called Bourtange; but we didn’t get to there.