During work on the Munnikenweg in the Oudorperpolder, archaeologists encountered a partly intact medieval bridge. The bridge is located near castle de Middelburg. “What a beautiful profession I have”, city archaeologist Nancy de Jong beams. “If you find a piece that belongs to such a castle, I think it’s a very beautiful thing.”
The 750-year-old Oudorperpolder looks like an untouched green oasis, but it looked very different in the Middle Ages. Then there were two castles: the Nieuwburg to the north and the Middelburg to the south of the Munnikenweg. In the fifteenth century there was still a monastery, of which three years ago remains were found†
The fact that the polder has such a rich history is clearly visible during the work on the Munnikenweg, one of the oldest roads in North Holland and with a monumental status. The bridge discovered, according to the archaeologist, dates from about the year 1400.
Nancy de Jong tells more about the unique find in the video below, after which the bridge was covered again: