The Waterpoort Experience
BLOC is developing a new tourist programme together with governments, NGOs and local and international entrepreneurs
Read moreAccess to a rich history
The Waterpoort (Watergate) area at the junction of the provinces of Noord-Brabant, Zuid-Holland and Zeeland is waiting to have its story told, heard and experienced.The Southern Waterline
The southern frontier of the Netherlands was the longest chain of forts, fortified towns and floodplains the country has ever known, and served to protect the Northern Netherlands against Spanish and French attacks. Many of these structures are still there. The Southern ‘Waterline’ runs through historic cities such as Bergen op Zoom, Steenbergen, Willemstad, Breda, and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. With an ingenious system of dykes and canals, the land between these fortified towns could be flooded in times of war.
The traces of this turbulent past are still visible in the preserved fortifications built by Napoleon and King William I. They tell the story of Brabant, a province that functioned as a buffer between the Dutch Republic and its enemies.
BLOC’s tourism strategy is developing new products and narratives to make the rich history of this area – and the Netherlands as a whole – tangible and accessible to all.
Connecting the rich history of the Netherlands to locations, stories and experiences along the Southern Waterline.
