Koepoort

The Koepoort is a city gate in Middelburg, the capital of the Dutch province of Zeeland. Its name means Cow Gate, a reminder of the days when livestock passed in and out of the town, and it is one of the best loved historic structures in the old centre. The gate is small compared with the great abbey complex nearby, but it gives a tangible connection to the late medieval town and its defences.

Middelburg was one of the wealthiest towns in the Dutch Republic. Located on the island of Walcheren, it was a base of the Dutch East India Company and the Zeeland chamber of the company, and the profits of overseas trade built the merchants' houses and civic buildings that make the centre so attractive today. The town was heavily damaged by German bombing in May 1940, which destroyed a large part of the centre around the abbey and the market square, but it was carefully rebuilt, and the historic streets that survive still number over a thousand protected monuments.

Seen against that backdrop, the Koepoort stands for the earlier life of the town, when walls and gates controlled access and trade. The structure is a simple architectural feature of brick and stone, with an archway that was long a main entry point for goods and people. Middelburg's gates and waterways form part of a defensive pattern in which canals and ramparts ran around the town, and a walk around the old moat edges gives a good sense of that arrangement.

The best way to enjoy the gate is as part of a stroll. The Abbey complex and the Lange Jan tower, known in English as Tall John, anchor the centre, and Kuiperspoort, the Vleeshal and the Kloveniersdoelen are other landmarks within a short walk. Winding cobbled streets and houses with beautiful gables, many of them of the seventeenth century, make the whole old town a pleasure to explore on foot. In summer there is a weekly market on the Markt, and Middelburg is also known for its cafes and for the quality of its local food, with Zeeland mussels and oysters on many menus.

The Koepoort suits history lovers, photographers and anyone who likes to explore a town through its gates and bridges. It is free to see from outside, and the visit takes only a few minutes, so plan to combine it with a longer walk.