De Oostpoort, which literally translates to ‘the eastern gate’, is the only city gate in Delft that remains out of the original eight. In 1359 the original city gates were already demolished once as punishment, because Delft had lost a war against Duke Albrecht of Bavaria. It was decided to rebuilt all city gates afterwards. In 1519 the East Gate was raised. When William of Orange came to live in Delft in 1572, the entire fortress was fortified.

Around 1840 Delft demolished all its city gates expect for the eastern gate. It could remain, because it did not obstruct transformations where it was located. Nowadays, a part of the fortress wall on the north and a statue of a guard above the gate are reminders that the gate was once there to protect Delft.

On the west side of the bridge, a test site for “fish bushes” can be found in the water. These are installations of bundled willow branches in a steel cage, as seen in the image. They are designed to give fish a place to spawn and hide. This should make it possible to have good fish stock in waterways which are busy boat lanes. Stable fish stocks contribute to the water quality and biodiversity of the water.

Sources
Erfgoedbekeken.nl. (2023, February 9). Oostpoort, Delft – erfgoed bekeken. Erfgoed Bekeken. https://erfgoedbekeken.nl/oostpoort-delft/