The Lekpoort is the only remaining town gate of Vianen. Together with the Oostpoort and the Landpoort, it formed the gateway to the walled town centre until the 19th Century. In the 14th Century, this gate was nothing more than a simple rectangular passageway with two towers. Around 1500, it was replaced by the current two-storey gate.
The gatekeeper’s room is situated above the passageway. One floor higher, there was a prison and the attic was used as a lookout post. The ringing bell in the rush hour, cast by François Hemony in the year 1647, not only showed the time but also served as an alarm bell that was sounded in the old days in the case of fire and danger.
After the advent of …
The Lekpoort is the only remaining town gate of Vianen. Together with the Oostpoort and the Landpoort, it formed the gateway to the walled town centre until the 19th Century. In the 14th Century, this gate was nothing more than a simple rectangular passageway with two towers. Around 1500, it was replaced by the current two-storey gate.
The gatekeeper’s room is situated above the passageway. One floor higher, there was a prison and the attic was used as a lookout post. The ringing bell in the rush hour, cast by François Hemony in the year 1647, not only showed the time but also served as an alarm bell that was sounded in the old days in the case of fire and danger.
After the advent of powerful firearms, both town walls and town gates lost their function. In the 19th Century, many gates were viewed mostly as useless obstacles to traffic and were demolished. This was the case for the Oostpoort and Landpoort in Vianen, which were built on the Grote Kerk. In the years soon after World War II, the Lekpoort deteriorated greatly due to traffic. Due to the temporary loss of the Lek Bridge and the construction of a pontoon bridge at the ferry across the Lek, Voorstraat and therefore the Lekpoort became an important traffic artery. After the Lek Bridge was repaired, this load was reduced because through traffic could bypass Vianen instead of going through it.
Further reading: Town wall and town canal, The Hofpoort, Grote Kerk Vianen (Great Church), The Lekbridge.
