The Prince William III sailing route
Woerden played a central role in the defense of the Old Dutch Waterline, partly due to its strategic location on the Old Rhine.
The Great Water Board of Woerden was based in Woerden. Prince William III ordered the flooding of the surrounding polders and sailed in a boat belonging to the water board past his troops, who were stationed along the banks of the Rhine. The forts in Nieuwerbrug, Bodegraven, Zwammerdam, and Alphen aan den Rijn were supposed to block the road to Leiden and the rest of Holland. Unfortunately, Woerden was quickly occupied by the French, but Prince William III tried to relieve the city several times. On the night of October 12, 1672, this led to a gruesome battle at De Kruipin. This was a strategically located point on the Oude Rijndijk on the northeast side of Woerden. More than 2,000 French and 600 Dutch soldiers were killed, including William III's uncle, Frederik van Nassau-Zuylestein. The attempt to relieve Woerden failed. Woerden remained a French base and in December, the French general Luxembourg would make a new attempt to invade Holland from Woerden via a frozen Waterline.
The audio tour route can be accessed online and offline via Izi.Travel. If you prefer to sail without your phone, you can download the PDF version here here.
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