Resilient Heritage | Open Monument Days

The city hall dates back to 1383/88. It was originally a market hall that was converted into a city hall in 1544. City architect G.N. Itz transformed the facade into a neoclassical monstrosity, with nothing remaining to recall the medieval facade. Around 1980, architect Wim van den Berg managed to reveal a small piece of the medieval past on the front of the building: a section of an arch spanning the Voorstraatshaven, which is a remnant of the small river Thure.

With your back to City Hall, turn right into the Grotekerksbuurt, heading toward the Grote Kerk.

After in-depth historical research, it has been irrefutably established that the current building with a stepped gable and decorative anchors at Grotekerksbuurt 21 is the birthplace of the De Witt brothers. The building was demolished in 1934 and given a new facade. The commemorative plaque had already been installed in 1925, on which, for the sake of convenience, the birth of Cornelis de Witt was omitted. The republican ideals of the De Witt brothers are also part of the Netherlands’ cultural heritage.

Built in 1882–1883 as a warehouse based on a design by the Dordrecht architect H.W. Veth.

In 1949, the building was converted into a depot for the now-defunct department store Vroom & Dreesmann. For many years, the delivery vans that traveled throughout Dordrecht and the surrounding area to deliver orders to people’s homes were parked here. The vehicles were serviced here. The grease pit is still there. Where goods and delivery vans once drove in and out, coffee cups, breakfast plates, and pastry plates now glide past cheerful tables. A resilient piece of heritage, indeed.

At number 11 once stood the pilgrims’ hostel that provided lodging for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. It belonged to the Guild of St. James. The building was later used as a guesthouse/hospital and, after reconstruction and renovations in 1893, also as a home for single—naturally, Catholic—elderly women. Today, it serves as a regular residential building.

As early as 1588, there was a house here called “de Witte Arent,” and that name was still in use in 1652. In 1939, the centuries-old building and the neighboring property were demolished. The old facade stone was reused in the new building, which cost 5,800 guilders in 1939. The double eagle appears on many facade stones and was often used by booksellers and builders.

Dordrecht is not a museum, despite its more than 1,000 historic monuments. Will “Forty-Seven” ever become a resilient part of our heritage?

Even beautiful stories are part of our heritage. Adriaen van Bergen lived here. In 1590, he was the skipper of the Turfschip van Breda, which, through a ruse, was used to capture Breda Castle, allowing Prince Maurits to claim the credit. Van Bergen had undoubtedly been inspired by a nearly identical event that took place in Dordrecht in 1481, involving a ship laden with willow branches. The current building dates from MDCCLXXVI.

Even a bullet is part of our heritage. In 1813, the French, who had occupied Dordrecht since 1795, fled the city and bombarded Dordrecht with mortars from Papendrecht. A number of cannonballs remained intact. Some were embedded in the walls as mementos. This is also the case in the church. There is a cannonball in the second buttress, to the right of the door, above the wall anchor.

Turn left and cross the Pelserbrug

On June 12, 1457, a small fire broke out in a cottage on Kleine Spuistraat. Fanned by a fierce east wind, the fire grew into a massive city fire that lasted five days and reduced 600 houses—most of them wooden—to ashes. The roof and tower of the Grote Kerk were also severely damaged. Just four years later, the damage to the church had already been repaired. A resilient piece of heritage, indeed.

Turn left onto Voorstraat

According to the National Monuments List: “A five-window-wide, monumental, Louis XV-style stucco facade (ca. 1765). The central risalit is richly decorated. Various carved corbels beneath the cornice.” Notably, the lower facade is no longer original but has nonetheless been designated a national monument; it was constructed in 1896 by H.A. Reus, a renowned architect in Dordrecht. It features sculptures by Lambertus Zijl, who is well-known throughout the country.
Be sure to take a look inside the hall as well!

Continue on Voorstraat

Take a look down Kleine Spuistraat, where the great fire began in 1457. On the side facade of Voorstraat 340, there’s a beautiful memorial created by a Dordrecht homeowner: the numbers 2 and 9 carved in red stone. It’s unclear why they’re there, but it’s certainly a beautiful piece of heritage.

A great deal of unique cultural heritage has disappeared in Dordrecht. For example, the beautiful stepped gable that once stood here was demolished, but the gable plaque “the two gilded axes” (with two spelling errors) has been preserved.

Adjacent to Haringstraat stood the building known as “de Gecroonde Pikkelharinc,” which housed a brewery. “Pikkel” in this context means “cured” or “salted.” It’s a somewhat unusual name for a brewery, but a herring merchant used to live here. Incidentally, the brewer felt that the name “de Gecroonde Pikkelharinc” didn’t really suit a brewery, so it was usually referred to simply as “De Croon.” And that does sound quite “beery.” The brewery is gone, but the alley next to it was named after it. And, quite remarkably, there’s a 17th-century weather vane on the roof featuring a herring and a crown.

This building is a fine example of resilient heritage. It once housed the Peels shoe store. In December 1971, the building was completely destroyed by fire. The historic neighboring buildings were saved by the skin of their teeth. Peels was rebuilt, and the old stucco facade was preserved. And today, the building is once again a national historic landmark.

You’re back at the spot where this short walk began. We hope you enjoyed this “Resilient Heritage” walk.