Cannon - Brielle (NL)
Posted by: 
StefandD
N 51° 54.150 E 004° 09.829
31U E 580068 N 5750834
A cannon on the Wellerondom square in the historic centre of Brielle.
Waymark Code: WM12QRB
Location: Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Date Posted: 07/03/2020
Views: 10
The Wellerondom, ‘around the well’ has existed for a long time. In 1572 it was already an important location in the town where a lot of news was exchanged. The house at number 8 was home to Rochus Meeuwisz whose heroic acts helped to defeat the Spanish counterattack on 5 April 1572.
Rochus Meeuwis
Rochus was a carpenter, and armed with an axe he destroyed a sluice which allowed the polders on the eastern side of the town to flood. The Spaniards approaching from that direction were thereby forced onto a higher dyke, which placed them within reach of the cannon. All they could was retreat and abandon their unfinished business.
Four days earlier, the Sea Beggars had decided to stay in Brielle. They took every step to bring the town to the highest state of defence. The town walls were reinforced where necessary, and any gaps were filled with herring barrels full of sand. The armaments were also reinforced. Whilst a number of women - “the sex who cannot fight” - made fuses by tearing their aprons into strips, the Beggars fetched cannon and munitions from their ships.
Artillerie Werkplaats
At the start of the Eighty Years War there were many different sizes of cannon and balls, and each type of cannon could really only fire its own ammunition. If you were lucky enough to find that your cannon was the same size or a little larger than that of the enemy, you could just fire back incoming cannon balls.
What type of artillery is this?: Canon
Where is this artillery located?: Other
What military of the world used this device?: Dutch
Date artillery was placed on display: 06/07/2014
Parking location to view this Waymark: N 51° 54.129 E 004° 10.094
Cost?: 0.00 (listed in local currency)
Artillery is no longer operational: yes
Still may work: no
Are there any geocaches at this location?:
Not on this exact spot, but there are several geocaches hidden in the centre of Brielle and its surroundings.
Date artillery was in use: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Two pictures are required for this Waymark. Please take a close up picture of the artillery. Take a second with the artillery in the distance and capture as much of the surroundings as possible. Name the Waymark with first the name of the area and second what the artillery is. An example would be if it were a cannon in front of the Montgomery Armory you would name the Waymark: Montgomery Armory Cannon.