Schoonhoven, half way between Rotterdam and Utrecht, grew up in the 13th century at the confluence of the Lek and the Vlist and was granted a municipal charter in 1281. During the Middle Ages the town was frequently involved in conflict, and in the 15th and 16th centuries it was surrounded by a circuit of walls, with five
gates. It still preserves some remains of its walls, which were planted with trees in the 17th century, and one of its gates, the Renaissance-style Veerpoort (1601). From the 14th century onwards Schoonhoven was famed for its gold and silverware.