Oudewater, Lopik, Schoonhoven, Haastrecht

In the 16th century, the towns near the Goejanverwellesluis, including Woerden, Oudewater and the Groot Waterschap Woerden, wanted to raise the water level. This would allow larger ships to pass the lock more easily. However, cities such as Delft, Gouda and Rotterdam opposed this plan and eventually won the court case. Despite the opposition, the water level was raised anyway in 1558. The conflict became so well known that it even ended up in the history books.

Some two hundred years later, the sluice again became the scene of a conflict that caused much controversy. Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia was stopped at this lock by the Patriots and captured. For her brother, this was reason enough to immediately deploy Prussian troops and come to the aid of his sister. Eventually, this arrest led to the fall of the Patriots and the Orange returned to power.

Oudewater has a black page in the same history book: the town was almost completely massacred by the Spaniards in 1575. Only three people survived. For this reason, the capture of Oudewater is also known as the Oudewater murder.

But Schoonhoven also played a role in history, namely during the war between Flanders and Holland. For a long time, Schoonhoven was the only Dutch town that still chose Flanders. During a siege, Willem III of Holland managed to force a surrender by chaining the father of Schoonhoven's castle guardian, Nicolaas van Cats jr., to the battering ram. With this threat, the castle guardian, Hendrik van Cats, surrendered.