Church on the Harbor proverb trail

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Hugo de Grootstraat 1
5141 JV Waalwijk
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Being big with someone
When you say you are "big with someone" you mean you are very good friends with that person or like that person very much.
Interesting: In 1943, this street was named after Hugo de Groot. Did you learn about him in school? Hugo de...

Being big with someone
When you say you are "big with someone" you mean you are very good friends with that person or like that person very much.
Interesting: In 1943, this street was named after Hugo de Groot. Did you learn about him in school? Hugo de Groot was a clever man who lived about 400 years ago. He laid the foundation for the international legal system we still use today. Hugo believed that everyone should be allowed to think what they want and have the right to equal treatment. Prince Maurice disagreed with him and imprisoned Hugo in a castle: Slot Loevestein. Did you know that Hugo hid in a book chest and was able to escape from the castle that way? Then he dressed up as a bricklayer and fled. The story goes that Hugo ended up in Waalwijk, among other places. He came by ferry from Drongelen and probably stayed only a few hours. He chose Waalwijk for a few reasons: in those times the areas of Holland and Brabant were in conflict. Hugo had to get to Brabant's territory as quickly as possible. Waalwijk was just across the border ánd there lived fellow believers who were eager to help him. They gave him a horse and cart to continue his escape to Belgium.
Tips: walk around the church and look for a special pole. It marks the former border between County Holland and Duchy of Brabant. So here was a dual country point!

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