Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: city gate

The Morspoort was built in 1669 as Leiden expanded to the west. This gate replaced a wooden gate from 1611. The stone gate was built in a Dutch Renaissance style common for the time. It is one of the eight original city gates the city once had. The other gates were demolished in the 19th century. The gate with its octagonal dome was a prison for a long time. Next to the gate was a field where the executed were hanged. The gate was named after the marshy area - The Morsch - on the outskirts of Leiden. The Morspoort and the nearby bridge are a Dutch National Monument.

The Helpoort (Hell’s Gate) - also known as Jekerpoort, Hoogbruggepoort, Alde Poort op den Ancker, Kruittorenpoort or De Twee Towers - is part of the original medieval city wall. Hendrik I, Duke of Brabant - gave permission for its construction in 1229. For about two centuries, the gate was part of the city's actual fortifications. It lost this function when the Nieuwstad (New City), the area south of the gate, was surrounded by a wall in the second half of the 15th century. The Helpoort - a Dutch national monument - is the only remaining city gate in Maastricht and the oldest city gate in the Netherlands. The sandstone towers are more than 14 meters high (when included with the towers the height rises above 20 meters). Through the gate one reaches the Sint Bernardusstraat, lined with many monumental buildings (PiP2).

Enkhuizen is a picturesque little city, well known for its numerous historic buildings and monuments. The most remarkable and best-known landmark in Enkhuizen is the defense tower - known as Dromedaris (Dromedary) - at the entrance to the Old Harbour. It is named after its similarity with the one-humped camel (to be honest you need some imagination to see this similarity). The tower was erected as a defense work at the entrance of the Old Harbour and it used to be the south gate of Enkhuizen. The tower was built in 1540 and got its current form in the 17th century. The old name of the building is Zuiderpoort or Ketenpoort , which refers to the salt works ( zoutketen ) south of the city, which could be reached via this gate. The tower has a carillon of 44 bells dating from 1677. The Drommedaris was renovated (1649-1657) to its present appearance after the Eighty Years' War with Spain. Over the centuries the building has been used to store gunpowder and house prisoners and guards. It also served as an excise office, spinning/weaving mill and telegraph office. The tower was seriously damaged in a bombing raid near the end of World War II. The gate on the city side was riddled with bomb fragments. Nowadays the Dromedaris is used as a cultural centre, with three stages.

The ‘Oosterpoort’ (East Gate) is the only remaining city gate of Hoorn. The tower was built in 1578 and the gate keeper’s house on top of it was added in 1601. The gate is located at the defensive moat ‘Draafsingel’ - or better the piece called ‘Oosterpoortsgracht’ - around the then walled city, which was dug out in 1577. Originally there was a wooden bridge leading to the gate, but that was replaced in 1763 by the current stone arch bridge with iron fences Oosterpoortsbrug . In 1876 the “Oosterpoort” was restored and is now owned by ‘Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser’, an association for the preservation of historic houses in the Netherlands. Hoorn was probably founded around the year 1200 and became important as a harbour town in the 14th century. In 1356 Hororn became a chartered city and was one of the most wealthy towns along the so called ‘Zuiderzee’. In the 17th century it was one of the six cities with a chamber of the Dutch East-Indies Company VOC and a prosperous and powerful trading town. Ships from Hoorn sailed around the world. Cape Horn was named after the city when two ships were the first to sail around the southernmost tip of South America in 1616.

The ‘Brandenburger Tor’ (Brandenburg Gate) is one of Berlin's most well known monuments; a landmark with over 200 years of history. The gate is the only remaining city gate of the former city wall. The Brandenburg Gate - a replacement of an older gate - was commissioned by King Friedrich Wilhelm II. The design of this neoclassical triumphal arch - 65.5 meters wide and 28 meters tall - was based on the Propylaea, the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens. The construction started in 1788 and was officially opened in 1791. The Quadriga, a sculpture representing the Goddess of Victory was erected on the Gate in 1793. In World War II Brandenburg Gate was damaged but not destroyed by allied bombing. During the Cold War the gate was located right near the border between East and West Berlin and became a symbol of a divided city, which drew visitors who could get a glimpse of the world behind the Iron Curtain from an observation platform. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 the ‘Brandenburger Tor’ quickly reinvented itself into the symbol of a reunited Germany. The gate was thoroughly renovated in 2000 - 2002 and regained its 19th century grandeur.