Nederland - Enkhuizen, Dromedaris

Enkhuizen is a picturesque little city, well known for its numerous historic buildings and monuments. The most remarkable and best-known landmark in Enkhuizen is the defense tower - known as Dromedaris (Dromedary) - at the entrance to the Old Harbour. It is named after its similarity with the one-humped camel (to be honest you need some imagination to see this similarity).

The tower was erected as a defense work at the entrance of the Old Harbour and it used to be the south gate of Enkhuizen. The tower was built in 1540 and got its current form in the 17th century. The old name of the building is Zuiderpoort or Ketenpoort, which refers to the salt works (zoutketen) south of the city, which could be reached via this gate. The tower has a carillon of 44 bells dating from 1677.

The Drommedaris was renovated (1649-1657) to its present appearance after the Eighty Years' War with Spain. Over the centuries the building has been used to store gunpowder and house prisoners and guards. It also served as an excise office, spinning/weaving mill and telegraph office.

The tower was seriously damaged in a bombing raid near the end of World War II. The gate on the city side was riddled with bomb fragments. Nowadays the Dromedaris is used as a cultural centre, with three stages.