Prince William III route: the prince orders a dike

Bodegraven: 

Fort Wierickerschans, Groene Hart Centrum, Zuidzijde 132.
Hekendorp: Café Goejanverwelle, Goejanwerwelle 29a.

Oudewater: 

Eethuisje't Backertje, Markt Oostzijde 14.
Hotel Restaurant Abrona, Broeckerstraat 20

Montfoort: 

Restaurant Kasteel Montfoort, Kasteelplein 1
Restaurant and City Café Het Oude Stadhuis, Hoogstraat 36

Linschoten: 

Café Het Wapen van Linschoten, Dorpstraat 34

Background information

Starting point fortified town of Woerden
In the eighteenth century, Woerden became a fortified town of the Old Dutch Waterline (OHWL). What remains of the double wall is an almost complete outer moat or Singel and a small part of the inner moat. A circular walk over the remains of the associated walls takes you past quiet areas with water features, parks and cemeteries. A heavy-duty Arsenal (military warehouse) and a large barracks, in classicist style, are among the most striking buildings in the historic center. The Woerden castle has been preserved on the edge of this. The late medieval building was also part of the city's ramparts. Even older are the Roman traces that can be found in the city museum and Castellum parking garage.

Headquarters of Prince William III
Approximately in the middle of the OHWL - from Gorinchem to Muiden - Prince William III established his headquarters in Bodegraven on the Oude Rijn in 1672. The passage of the Oude Rijn was defended with redoubts at Nieuwerbrug and the Wierickerschans. That was sufficient, until at the end of the year - in the absence of Prince William III - a French army unit managed to get behind these defenses across frozen inundation areas in Zegveld. As far as Gouwsluis, where the Gouwe joins the Oude Rijn, defenses were disabled and buildings and water mills were set on fire. Moreover, residents of the villages of Zwammerdam and Bodegraven fell prey to the destruction, robbery and murderousness of the French soldiers.

(1)
Fort Wierickerschans
From Woerden, the old towpath along the Oude Rijn - on the south side - leads to Fort Wierickerschans in Bodegraven. This fort was built within a year after the disaster with the French soldiers. So it was the result of great shock and indignation. A breakthrough in the Old Rhine area was not allowed to happen again.
Fort Wierickerschans is surrounded by heavy, high walls and has four protruding corners: the so-called bastions. Connecting to the Oude Rijn, a wide moat has been constructed around the fort. The fortress area measures over one hundred by one hundred meters and contains several military buildings. From the middle of the eighteenth century, the fort was used as a (gun)powder depot for a long time. Heavy buildings in the courtyard still indicate this. These monumental buildings are currently being restored and renovated. Staatsbosbeheer has set up a visitors center at the fort:'Het Groene Hart Centrum\\\'.

(2)
Prinsendijk
The French enemy tried to inundate the Wiericken area, between Oude Rijn and
Hollandsche IJssel, destroyed with a lot of river water in 1672-1673. Prince William III was therefore forced to order a dike: the western quay along the Single Wiericke had to be made into a heavy retaining dike. For this work, each polder had to provide a contingent of sturdy men with tools. That happened, and the Prinsendijk is still there. The Prinsendijk, on the border of Holland and Utrecht, was a hurdle that smugglers had to overcome in peacetime. The smuggling path towards Hekendorp is a reminder of this. Now this area is popular with walkers and cyclists.

(3)
Goejanverwellesluis
In the time of the OHWL, Hekendorp was called Goejan or Goverwelle and the lock in the dike of the Hollandsche IJssel was called the Goejanverwellesluis (see also the Princess Route). Water from the Hollandsche IJssel was let in through this lock to flood the land between the Wiericken: an inundation area with a width of approximately two kilometers. Nowhere was the OHWL so narrow between Gorinchem and Muiden. That is why main posts of the prince's army were established both along the Oude Rijn and along the Hollandsche IJssel in 1672-1673. With the exception of Fort Wierickerschans, none of this has been preserved.
The route continues east through the Hekendorpse Buurt to Oudewater.

(4)
Fortified town of Oudewater
The small old town has an unhappy fortress past. The"murder of Oudewater\\\" took place during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648). In 1672-1673, Oudewater lay unprotected for some time in front of the water line, i.e. in front of the Goejanverwellesluis-Nieuwerbrug line. It was not until the eighteenth century that the waterline was moved to the east and Oudewater significantly strengthened. Traces of high bastions and a wide moat are best visible on the southeast side. From that old fortified southeast corner, the route continues over the Waardsedijk along the Hollandsche IJssel, through the Snelrewaard and in the direction of Montfoort.

(5)
Former Line of Plea
About halfway between Oudewater and Montfoort, Hoeve de Schans is a reminder of the Line of Pleit, which lay across the Hollandsche IJssel around 1800. Behind the farm, a deviating ditch pattern reveals the location of a so-called semi-bastion. On the south side of the Hollandsche IJssel there is now the modern pumping station 'De Pleyt' and café-restaurant De Schans refers to the old line from the time of the OHWL.
In Montfoort you can find remains of city walls and a gate, a moat and a partly restored and renovated castle. In the eighteenth century, the Utrecht town was almost adjacent to the OHWL. For the next track of the water line, the cycle path along the N 204 should be chosen in the direction of the village of Linschoten.

(6)
Former Line of Linschoten
Just before the village of Linschoten, the cycle path crosses the Linie van Linschoten. The defensive structure from the end of the eighteenth century, located perpendicular to the current road, is still recognizable by its soil marks and bushes, a last trace of a camouflage forest. On the other side of the N 204, a small farm bears the name 'De Schans'. Behind it, the contours of the old land line extend further, as indicated on a panel along the cycle path.
The cycle route continues through the church village of Linschoten and from there via the Weipad in the polder to the Cattenbroekerdijk. In a northerly direction this dike ends on the east side of Woerden.

(7)
Former forts Oranje and Kruipin
The route returns to the historic center of Woerden via the Utrechtsestraatweg on the south side of the Oude Rijn. At the height of the new Meander district, the street Fort Oranje and the residential areas Bastion Willem and Bastion Maurits are first passed. These names, together with newly created moat and bastion shapes, remind us of the former Fort Orange. On the north side of the Oude Rijn this included the small fort De Kruipin. At this point the OHWL crossed the river in the eighteenth century.
In 1672, Prince William III and his soldiers had already clashed with the French enemy at that location. The'Battle of the Kruipin\\\' cost many lives and was accompanied by a major fire in the disputed Woerden.