Students receive lessons in the open air.

GORINCHEM – Gorinchem has an old city centre with a rich past that goes back deep into the Middle Ages. If you walk through the centre now, you will actually notice little of the medieval city, except when, as now, archaeologists are at work.

In connection with the construction of a shopping complex on the Happy Corner, better known as the parking lot behind the Hema, archaeological research is taking place. Under the former parking lot, remains of city life from the Middle Ages appear to lie. The archaeologists have been busy for two weeks tracking down and documenting these remains. Martin Veen of the Historical Soil Research Foundation is prepared to provide an explanation of the excavation work. The entire project is funded by the municipality of Gorinchem.

Volunteers

A steering committee consisting of six bodies has set up a working group for this project, which is staffed entirely by volunteers. Members of the Archaeological Working Group Gorinchem, the Archaeological Working Group Netherlands and the Foundation Historical Soil Research Gorinchem are working together fraternally to complete the project.

A unique partnership, especially since they receive so much attention and reinforcement from education. The students of the Merewade College, the Oude Hoven school community and the Camphusianum gymnasium receive a practical history lesson in the open air and can also get to work with a trowel and spade. Some have to write a thesis for the school.

"One day they come here with the class and the next day they come here individually to ask if they can come and help on their free Wednesday afternoon. We really like those reactions," says Martin Veen. Interested parties are always welcome; they can register for the digging team with Teus Koorevaar of the AWN, telephone 0184 - 418569 or with Martin Veen of the SHB. You really don't have to become a member of those associations right away.

Old foundations

The first week the excavation has progressed to the block of houses that stood here until 1966. These 19^e century houses were demolished at the time without being documented. Underneath, the foundations of houses dating from the 16th century are visible^de century, between 1550 and 1600.

It is noteworthy that these older houses were much larger than their 19^e century successors. In the gardens behind these houses were water wells and ale cellars, which were the precursors of our current toilets, that must have been a nice fresh idea. Most are empty, but some still produce pottery, sometimes in very good condition, from the 17^e to the 19^e century.

"Under these houses we expect a layer of remains of medieval wooden construction. You can compare the archaeology of a city with an onion: every time you peel off a layer, you find older remains," says Martin.

The utilitarian pottery is exhibited in the museum or in the town hall and shows a broad spectrum from very simple stoneware to very expensive Japanese and Chinese porcelain. Most of it of course in shards, because otherwise it would not be thrown away.

Stained glass painting

The most special concerns fragments of a stained glass window. It concerns a representation of Christ with his hands tied being led before Pontius Pilate. Because of the sublime quality of the representation, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has started the restoration. Perhaps this window was lost during the Beeldenstorm in 1566.

For the first time in Gorinchem's excavation history, the leadership now rests with two professional forces, led by Pieter Floore of the Institute for Pre- and Protohistory in Amsterdam. Such an archaeologist has a helicopter view of the entire excavation, something that is impossible for volunteers. After all, it concerns a relatively small piece of land where many houses used to stand, resulting in a very complex soil structure. Of course, it is also the oldest part of the city, so it contains an enormous wealth of information that can only be brought to light intact by very carefully peeling.

Once excavated, the original context is gone, but that would have been the case if you had simply put an excavator on it. At least now the old objects are preserved for posterity. Martin laughs “This excavation is like a comic strip in the newspaper, so: to be continued”.

Gorcumse Courant
May 1, 1996
by Albert Folkerts