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 .