Right ahead of you, you'll spot a weathered old brick gate with rounded arches and a large central passageway - just look for the archway stretching over the path with chunks of ancient wall on either side.
Now, take a moment and imagine you’re standing before Zutphen’s very own medieval “front door” - the Spanjaardspoort! Back in the 1300s, this gate was the superhero of city defenses: the front line, watching for trouble and keeping the town safe. Right here, nearly 700 years ago, guards would pace back and forth, their boots crunching on the stones, scanning the horizon for anyone daring enough to approach. In the early 1400s, they beefed up the gate by adding two round towers, and in 1536, a mighty barbacane was built in front - a huge, circular defense with secret cannon chambers, like something out of a spy movie. Imagine cannons behind these walls, ready to boom at a moment's notice! Sadly, by 1857, the barbacane was knocked down, though archaeologists rediscovered it in recent times - proof that history likes to play hide and seek.
As time marched on, the old Nieuwstadspoort was demolished, but what you see now - the iconic front gate and part of the shield wall - survived. For a while, an army barracks leaned protectively against this gate, until it was destroyed dramatically in World War II. These bricks have seen knights, cannon fire, marching armies, and whispering winds through the centuries. Today, they’re silent storytellers, reminding us just how tough Zutphen used to be at the city’s edge. And if you listen closely, you might still imagine the distant call of a medieval watchman echoing under the old arch!
