Buren is a more than 600 years old fortified town
in the region called 'de Betuwe'. The main part of the medieval walls
still surrounds the city and one of the old city gates still exists
completely. The old center and its medieval streetplan is protected
as cultural inheritance. Buren has strong bonds with the Dutch
king and her family. In fact, the reign of the 'Huis van Oranje'
almost started in Buren with the marriage of Willem van Oranje with
Anna van Buren in 1551. The present princess
Beatrix still carries the title Countess
of Buren. King Willem-Alexander, when attending 'de
Elfstedentocht' (a famous ice-skating tour in Friesland) enlisted
with the pseudonym W. A. van Buren .
|