Remnants of an old castle wall were found in the city centre of Eindhoven this week.
Archaeologist Ria Berkvens is in charge of analysing the medieval brick foundations that the construction team found. ‘We assume that these are the remains of the entrance gate to the castle. We are now investigating that further,’ she says. She remains rather modest about the discovery, although she does admit that nothing like this has happened in at least 30 years.
Main gateway
The castle wall can be seen outside the restaurant, ‘t Zusje. Passers-by may not even recognise the red bricks as a medieval gateway. It looks rather like any other ordinary wall, except it lies underground. ‘These foundations cannot simply be demolished. In the Middle Ages, they built things better than they do now,’ says Berkvens.
The excavation work must be completed with a great deal of care, so as not to disturb the network of pipes that loops around and over the wall.
Eindhoven’s identity
‘This excavation gives us a deeper insight into Eindhoven’s identity. It tells a story about the history of this medieval city,’ says Berkvens.
Whilst further research is yet to be done, one thing is certain: the existing drawings of the castle must be redrawn, because these new discoveries show that they are not correct. For instance, the entrance gate looks rather different than how it is depicted in the drawings.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Rachael Vickerman
