Dordrecht: history, water, culture
The historic inner city of Dordrecht lies concealed between mighty rivers. The best place to begin an exploratory trip therefore is the Groothoofd, where the rivers Oude Maas [Old Meuse], Noord and Merwede join up.
Standing on the quay you look out over the busiest river point of Europe. For centuries, the cloudy Dutch skies and this wide area where the rivers divide, have both been a source of inspiration for painters and poets.
Behind the Groothoofdspoort [gate at the city's main jetty] the history is tangible. You can touch it in streets which were never meant for cars. The old inner city can best be explored on foot. By way of the elegant Wijnstraat for example, with its merchants' houses and gentle bends, ending at the characteristic Grote Kerk [Great Church]. Or along the cosy inner harbours, where trade has died down but the atmosphere of yesteryear lives on. The best traditions of a mediaeval mercantile city are reflected in nearly a thousand monuments. It is with good reason that the cityscape is protected cultural heritage. Few Dutch cities can measure up to Dordrecht in this respect.
The monuments determine the face of a city which originated almost a thousand years ago. It was then no more than a settlement along the small river Thuredrith, to which Dordrecht owes its name. As time went by, the residential nucleus proved to be very favourably positioned: strategically at the crossing of trade routes, which were then largely over water. The settlement soon achieved the size and status of a real city. In 1220 the count of Holland granted franchise rights to Dordrecht. It was the first time that he had bestowed this privilege. Dordrecht may thus call itself the oldest city of 'Holland'.
In 1421 a natural disaster, the St. Elisabethsvloed [St. Elisabeth's flood], destroyed seventeen villages in the neighbourhood. Fifty thousand hectares of land were flooded. In this churning inland sea only Dordrecht survived the force of nature. The flood both destroyed and shaped at the same time. The extensive river and creek area, the Biesbosch, now a National Park, got its freakish appearance at that time.
Dordrecht grew to be the most important city of Holland. And although it had to give up this position long ago, footsteps from the history of the Netherlands still echo in the streets. Footsteps of famous citizens of Dordrecht, such as Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt. He governed the powerful merchant state of Holland in the Golden Age for 27 years. His brother Cornelis supported him. There are also footsteps of world famous painters, such as Ary Scheffer, Nicolaes Maes and Aelbert Cuyp. Vincent van Gogh also spent some time in Dordrecht.
In the Hof [Court], which still exists, important history was written. In 1572 during the Spanish rule, it housed the First Assembly of the Free States. All twelve cities of Holland, with the exception of Amsterdam, took part in a secret meeting. They resolved unanimously to turn against the Spanish oppressors. They chose Prince William of Orange as their stadholder. Together with the Union of Dordrecht (1575), in which the constitution was established, the Assembly of the Free States is considered to be the beginning of the independent state of the Netherlands.
The town also played a prominent part in the church history. In 1618 and 1619 the protestants from all over Europe settled their religious and political quarrels here. The National Synod, a marathon meeting of 180 sessions, led to important social changes. The Calvinist teaching was established and the (enlightened) Remonstrant view was overthrown. The members of the Synod took another far-reaching decision. They had the bible translated into Dutch. This, known as the 'Statenvertaling' [State Translation] became the basis for the language which is now written and spoken in the Netherlands.
