Spanjaardsgat, Breda

The "Spanjaardgat" is surrounded by halftrue stories of the Dutch variant of the Trojan Horse technique. In the 80 years lasting independance war between the Lowlands and Spain (then centre of the Habsburgian empire of which The Netherlands (incl. belgium) then were a part of). Story goes that after a long siege, the Dutch pretended to leave the area. They left a ship full of peat in the harbour as a tooken of loosing the battle ... that is ... the deep hidden decks were filled with 72 soldiers. The ship was taken into the town and at night the troops came out - opened the gates and so letting in the main force. Thus Breda was "liberated" on the 4th of March 1590 (as well plundered for it's catholic past). In a hidden square in town the "captain" of this peatship is commemorated in a small statue.

The "Spanjaardsgat" is a name that origines from the word "Gate of the Spaniards". The "Spanjaardgat" is a watergate, but is not as old as the story goes. The buildings behind it (the castle) now are the highest military academy in The Netherlands (KMA). A watergate used to be the entrance for water-traffic into town and was a part of most Dutch medieval cities. The place is falsly connected to a famous story that I will tell in another "must see activity".

2 more images

The SPANJAARDSGAT (Hole of the Spaniards) got its name from the hole in the castle wall, through which Philip II (1527 - 1598) soldiers tried to enter.

In the battle between the Spanish and the Dutch a skipper managed to smoggle a whole load of Dutch soldiers behind enemy lines and "Het Spanjaardsgat" is the place where this all happened.