GORINCHEM – Tomorrow, the municipality of Gorinchem will unveil an archaeological find from around 1405 in the city centre. The find, a column of a pillar of the Court of Arkel, has been restored and will be placed as a monument behind a new department store.
The Hof van Arkel was the noble residence of the most famous of the Lords of Arkel around 1405: Jan van Arkel. The column base that was found is authentic and was built with fragments that were found during the excavations. The monument was impregnated to withstand large temperature fluctuations. The column was discovered in the summer of 2002 during archaeological excavations at the construction site of the new department store. Archaeologists came across foundations of seventeen by eight metres. They called this discovery 'one of the oldest remains of a noble residence'.
On the construction site, archaeologists also found the presumed remains of the city school, which must have been built around 1400. In 1435, an adjacent alley was known as 'Scoelsteghe'The excavators found dozens of writing styluses, which students could use to write in the soft wax layer of a writing tablet.
ANP
December 10, 2003
General Daily Newspaper