Gouda 2017 – Donkere Sluis

The Donkere Sluis (Dark Lock) was the first lock in Gouda, built around the mid 13th century. In 1436 a second lock (the Amsterdam Lock) was built upstream and in 1615 another lock was built where the Gouwe connected to the Hollandse IJssel (the Havensluis or Harbour Lock). These three locks worked in triple to create a very large lock of around 800 metres.

Gouda was a choke point for the shipping route from Flanders to Germany, it made it possible for the people of Gouda to make money.

The locks could also be used to flush the canals in the city of Gouda. You can see the working of the flushing here: youtu.be/4eYSINWEX2c (the text is in Dutch, but the images speak for themselves).