Prince William III Route: The Prince Commands a Dike

Bodegraven: 

Fort Wierickerschans, Green Heart Center, South Side 132.
Hekendorp: Café Goejanverwelle, Goejanwerwelle 29a.

Oldwater: 

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

Montfoort: 

Restaurant Kasteel Montfoort, Kasteelplein 1
Restaurant and City Café The Old Town Hall, Hoogstraat 36

Linschoten:

Café The Coat of Arms of Linschoten, Dorpstraat 34

Background information

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

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 a French army unit at the end of the year - in the absence of Prince William III - managed to get behind these defences over frozen inundation areas in Zegveld. Up to Gouwsluis, where the Gouwe flows into the Oude Rijn, defences were then disabled and buildings and watermills were set on fire. In addition, inhabitants of the villages of Zwammerdam and Bodegraven fell prey to the French soldiers' lust for destruction, robbery and murder.

(1)
Fort Wierickerschans
From Woerden, the old towpath leads along the Oude Rijn - on the south side - to fort Wierickerschans in Bodegraven. This fort was built within a year after the disaster with the French soldiers. It was therefore the result of great fear and indignation. A breakthrough in the Oude Rijn area was not to happen again.
Fort Wierickerschans is surrounded by heavy, high ramparts and has four protruding corners: the so-called bastions. A wide moat was constructed around the fort in connection with the Oude Rijn. The fort grounds measure over a hundred by a hundred metres and there are several military buildings on them. 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 structures are currently being restored and renovated. Staatsbosbeheer has set up a visitors' centre at the fort: 'Het Groene Hart Centrum'.

(2)
Prince's Dike
The French enemy tried to invade the inundation area of the Wiericken, between the Oude Rijn and
Hollandsche IJssel, with much river water to be brought into disarray in 1672-1673. Prince Willem III was therefore forced to order a dike: the western quay along the Enkele 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. This was done, 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 the Goejanverwellesluis (see also the Princess Route). Through this lock, the water from the Hollandsche IJssel was let in to flood the land between the Wiericken: an inundation area with a width of around two kilometres. Nowhere was the OHWL so narrow between Gorinchem and Muiden. That is why there were main posts of the prince's army established both along the Oude Rijn and along the Hollandsche IJssel in 1672-1673. With the exception of the fort Wierickerschans, nothing of this has been preserved.
The route continues eastwards through the Hekendorpse Buurt towards Oudewater.

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

(5)
Former Line of the Pleit
About halfway between Oudewater and Montfoort, Hoeve de Schans is a reminder of the Line of Pleit that lay across the Hollandsche IJssel around 1800. Behind the farm, a different ditch pattern still reveals the location of a so-called half-bastion. On the south side of the Hollandsche IJssel, the modern pumping station 'De Pleyt' now stands, and café-restaurant De Schans refers to the old line from the time of the OHWL.
In Montfoort, remains of city walls and a gate, a moat and a partly restored and rebuilt castle can be found. The Utrecht town was almost against the OHWL in the eighteenth century. For a next track of the waterline, the cycle path along the N 204 must 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, situated perpendicular to the current road, can still be recognised by its traces of soil and thickets, 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 over 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 historical centre of Woerden via the Utrechtsestraatweg on the south side of the Oude Rijn. At the height of the new housing estate Meander, 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, are reminiscent of the former fort Orange. On the north side of the Oude Rijn, the small fort De Kruipin belonged to this. 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.