Discover the Smeepoort, a medieval monument in Harderwijk with a rich history dating back to 1231. Visit during a city walk or Open Monument Day!
Throughout the year, the Smeepoort can only be visited during a city walk. The Smeepoort is opened to the public on Open Monument Day. After Harderwijk was granted city rights in 1231, the city was walled. Harderwijk possessed five city gates: two on the seaward side (Hoge Bruggepoort and Vischpoort) and three on the landward side (Smeepoort, Luttekepoort, and Grote Poort). Only remnants remain of the gates on the landward side. The Smeepoort is one such remnant. In 1673, French troops demolished a large part of the Smeepoort; now only a side section with a guard room remains. Three so-called flood stones are embedded in the wall. They indicate the water level during: the All Saints' Flood (1570), the flood of 1825, and the inundation of 1916. This last flood, which caused many casualties, particularly in North Holland, was the definitive reason for closing off the former Zuiderzee.
