Tour The Beautiful Dutch City Of Dordrecht On This Picturesque Walking Tour Of Its City Center

Discover The Charming Dutch City Of Dordrecht On This Walking Tour Of Its Picturesque City Center!
Dordrecht, historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, pronounced or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after Rotterdam, The Hague, Zoetermeer and Leiden, with a population of 119,115.
The name Dordrecht comes from Thuredriht (circa 1120), Thuredrecht (circa 1200). The name seems to mean 'thoroughfare'; a ship-canal or -river through which ships were pulled by rope from one river to another, as here from the Dubbel to the Merwede, or vice versa.
Dordrecht is informally called Dordt by its inhabitants. In earlier centuries, Dordrecht was a major trading port and was called Dort in English.
In 1572, four years into the Dutch Revolt, representatives of all the cities of Holland, with the exception of Amsterdam, as well as the Watergeuzen, represented by William II de la Marck, gathered in Dordrecht to hold the Eerste Vrije Statenvergadering ("First Assembly of the Free States"), also known as the Unie van Dordrecht ("Union of Dordrecht"). This secret meeting, called by the city of Dordrecht, was a rebellious act since only King Philip II or his stadtholder, at that time the Duke of Alba, were allowed to call a meeting of the States of Holland.

During the meeting, the organization and financing of the rebellion against the Spanish occupation was discussed, Phillip II was unanimously denounced, and William of Orange was chosen as the rightful stadtholder and recognized as the official leader of the revolt. Orange, represented at the meeting by his assistant Philips of Marnix, was promised financial support of his struggle against the Spanish and at his own request, freedom of religion was declared in all of Holland.

The gathering is regarded as the first important step towards the free and independent Dutch Republic.
Other important gatherings such as the Union of Brussels (1577) and the Union of Utrecht (1579) paved the way for official independence of the Dutch Republic, declared in the Act of Abjuration in 1581.

The Union of Dordrecht was held in an Augustinian monastery, nowadays simply called het Hof ("the Court"). The room in which the meeting was held is called de Statenzaal ("The Hall of States") and features a stained glass window in which the coats of arms of the twelve cities that were present at the meeting can be seen.


Throughout the centuries, Dordrecht held a key position in the defense of Holland. It hosted an army division well into the 20th century. During the mobilization of August 1939, infantry and artillery were sent to Dordrecht to defend the island. When the Germans invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940, German paratroopers landed in Dordrecht. After fierce fighting they overtook the bridges Dordrecht-Moerdijk and Dordrecht-Zwijndrecht. Many buildings in Dordrecht were destroyed. At the end of the Second World War, during the winter of 1944–45, Dordrecht and its surroundings were in the middle between the opposing armies. The border between occupied and liberated regions ran along the Hollands Diep. Dordrecht was finally liberated by the Canadian Army.

----------------
All videos are recorded in immersive first person view, in 4k.
I will put up to two videos on the channel on a weekly and regular basis. Please consider subscribing and enjoy a variety of videos.
Thank you.

   / @gazewaze  



#Gaze #gazenl #WalkingTour #Netherlands4k #walkingstreet4k #4kwalkingTour #dordrecht2023 #netherlands4k2023 #walking2023 #cityofNetherlands #street4k #citynetherlands4k #holland #FamousCitiesIntheNetherlands #holland4k #provinceAmsterdam #هلند# #netherlandswalk #holland2023 #dordrecht2023 #dordrechtnetherlands
#RoyalPalac #madametussauds #damstraat #CentralStation #CityCentre #endlessalleys