The ANWB have placed many of these informative notices on historic
buildings up and down the country. It tells us the Zuiderpoort [south gate]
was built around 1540 to defend the harbour mouth. It was heightened and
became known as the Drommedaris. From 1659 it had a wide variety of uses:
as barracks, prison, excise office, weaving shed, telegraph office and at
the present time as a cultural centre. Its carillon of 38 bells installed in 1677
is by the famous Hemony brothers.