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Sights The Burcht  This citadel (burcht is the Dutch word for citadel) is unique in Holland and belongs to the type of the motte castle ("motte"=elevation). The elevation was erected by human hands in the 11th century close to where the Old and the New Rhine meet and topped by a wooden palisade. The citadel offered protection against the rising water of the Rhine. Protection from enemy troops was a function soon lost, for the city rapidly grew around it. From the 17th century onward it played the role of City Park. |