Oudewater в провинции Утрехт.

Walking around in the beautiful typical dutch 16th century old city centre of the Town. I found that the old houses were very well maintained and very close to their original state. Oudewater was an important border city between Holland and Utrecht. Oudewater (lit. “Old water“) was of great strategic importance. The town was granted city rights in 1265 by Hendrik van Vianden, the bishop of Utrecht. Oudewater took its place in the First Free States council in Dordrecht on 19 July 1572, Oudewater was one of the twelve cities taking part in the first free convention of the States General in Dordrecht. This was a meeting that laid down the origin of the State of the Netherlands, as we know it now, under the leadership of the House of Orange. This happened at the beginning of the Eighty Years’ War (1568–1648) when the Netherlands were still part of the Spanish Empire.