Nobel Gate

Zierikzee is the only city in the Netherlands with the great privilege of possessing three of its medieval gates, which have remained virtually unchanged since the 16th century. Kampen also still has three gates, but they were strongly rebuilt in later times. They are memories of times long gone when the city had to be able to defend itself against the enemy.
Of these three gates, the Nobel Gate, which is on the north side of the city, is the oldest. This can be deduced from the use of Tournai stone on the lower part and the bricklaying of that same part in a so-called Flemish context. In addition, there is no alternation of layers of bricks in the longitudinal direction of the wall. But on the other hand an alternation of bricks in the length and depth direction in every layer of the brickwork.
The medieval character of the Nobel Gate is best preserved. Only the facade between the two towers on the outside has changed.

The gate dates from the first quarter of the 14th century. After the heavy siege by the Flemish in 1304, the defense was drastically improved. Part of this was the construction of this port, among other things. The name of the builder of this gate is unknown. Unfortunately, that can no longer be traced, because in 1811 the archive documents were sold by the then mayor as old paper.

Just like the Zuidhavenpoort, the Nobel Gate is also high. It gave defenders the opportunity to spy on and attack their attackers from above. It is still the time of bow and arrow in particular. When the guns were able to assert their devastating influence, such high gates were no longer erected.
NAMING
How the Nobel Gate got its name is uncertain. Noble means noble, is the designation of a coin, but also of a medieval name.

In 1303, one Ghise Nobelsone inhabited the Bridorpe castle at Brouwershaven. Possibly the Nobel Gate owes its name to him. Legend has it that the building was founded by two noble (noble) ladies, Anna and Maria. Because one of them was crooked, the builders built one of the two spiers with a slight nod.

The walls are based on posts of approximately 1.20 meters in the square and with mutual distances of approximately two meters. To save brickwork, the distance between them was bridged with a construction of so-called savings arches. The foundations were composed of twelve posts each, with a diameter of ten to twelve centimeters. The floor was covered with thick oak parts. The masonry rests on this.

The towers are 35 meters high from the ground and 1.30 meters thick from the top. The bottom wall is 1.60 meters thick. In the middle, the length to the roof is 16 meters, with the triangular roof it is 25 meters high.
GATE DOORS

The gate passage is located in the main building. In it are hung heavy oak doors, with a lot of iron fittings and countless wrought iron nails with large heads, hung. The doors are still present in the Zuid and Noordhavenpoort. They are all painted in the city colors. Until 1866 the city gates were closed in the evening.

For a fee, latecomers were given access to the gatekeeper via the door handle, the small door in one of the gate doors. The last gatekeeper was called Hubrecht de Voogdt.

Should the enemy succeed in ramming the doors, a safety gate with sharp points was lowered as a new obstacle. The slot in the form of two oak beams with space between them is still visible. Horizontal bars are arranged between the beams. It can be deduced from this that horizontal connections were present at the top and bottom of the gate. The absence of cross connections between the bars of the portcullis prevented the enemy from using the fence as a climbing frame.
Such a portcullis was also present in the two port gates. The slot is located behind the doors in the Noordhavenpoort. With the other two ports in front. Originally a wooden drawbridge was located in front of the Nobel Gate. In 1685 this drawbridge was replaced by the current dam, which was later fitted with a parapet. Just outside the bridge you can still see a small part of the defenses constructed in the 17th century. It is a part of the so-called half moon. There are two round tower bodies on the left and right of the gatehouse. They each have a diameter of six meters. Their construction was an important innovation. Such towers gave the defenders a much better opportunity to cover the area and, if necessary, to keep access under crossfire. Both spiers are approximately 35 meters high. One spire has 8 sides, the other 16. The two floors and the attic are reached via the towers. The roof constructions of the spiers are special.

In 1795, the Nobel Gate was established as a warehouse for clothing and ammunition. Because gunpowder lay in the Nobel Gate at that time, people in Nobelstraat and the surrounding area were not allowed to burn in winter because people were afraid of the risk of explosion.

On March 25, 1760, the city authorities determined that the Nobel Gate would be closed at 10 p.m. from May to September, and whoever came later had to pass through the Noordhavenpoort to enter the city.

When the French had taken possession of the city, the name of the Nobel Gate was changed to 'Porte d'Aboukir'. The name has only been worn for a short time.

RESTORATIONS
In 1591 the gate was restored with stones from the dilapidated church building of Westerschouwen. The gate was professionally restored in the years 1973-1979. The last restoration took place in 1979. The costs of this then amounted to € 665,241.80. The towers were re-joined in 2005, the roof was treated against woodworm and various parts of the roof were renewed.

The port is a special attraction for enthusiasts. It does not take much effort to revive your own youth with exciting youth books about medieval battles and brave knights.
PARANORAL RESEARCH
In 2013, the Paranormal Activities team conducted research in the Nobel Gate.

During this investigation, which took place during the night hours, orbs (light sources / circles) were photographed. Orbs can be entities, spirits / souls who do not indicate their presence, but are nevertheless captured on a photo.

Various voices were recorded on Electronic Voice Phenomena (EPP).

More information about this research can be found at: www.paranormalactivities.nl/onderzoeknobelpoort
INFORMATION
Nobel Gate
Korte Nobelstraat 41
4301 HM Zierikzee