Editing Heusden (section)

=== Castle ===
[[File:Heusden, restanten van kasteel Heusden foto1 2012-10-22 11.59.jpg|thumbnail|left|Remnants of Castle Heusden]]
The settlement of '''Heusden''' on the river [[Maas (river)|Maas]] (Meuse) started with the construction of [[Heusden Castle]], which replaced an earlier castle destroyed by [[Henry I, Duke of Brabant|Henry I]], [[Duke of Brabant]] in 1202.<ref>{{citation |last=Aarts |first=Bas |year=2015 |magazine=Kasteel en Buitenplaasts |title=Speurtocht in Oudheusden (NB) |publisher=NKS Kenniscentrum voor Kasteel en Buitenplaats |issue=48 |url=https://archief.kastelen.nl/_kastelen/content/documenten/kk48.pdf |pages=9–12 |lang=nl}}</ref> This fortification was quickly expanded with water works and a [[donjon]] (castle keep). The city of Heusden received [[City rights in the Netherlands|city rights]] in 1318. Heusden's castle had belonged to successive dukes of Brabant; in 1357 it passed into the hands of the [[Counts of Holland#House of Wittelsbach|counts of Holland]]. [[Defensive wall|Ramparts]] and [[moats]] were constructed, bringing the castle within the city's fortifications and resulting in the loss of its function as a stronghold. The donjon was then used as a munition depot.  On 24 July 1680, a terrible [[thunderstorm]] hit Heusden, and [[lightning]] struck the donjon. Sixty thousand pounds of [[gunpowder]] and other [[ammunition]] exploded, destroying the castle. It took seven weeks to clear the rubble and debris. The castle was never fully rebuilt. However, outlines of the main features were restored in 1987.