The fortified city of Woudrichem lies near the confluence of the Waal, the dammed-up Meuse and the Merwede. Its monuments bear witness to the conflicts that resulted from its strategic location. They include bastions, ravelins, a bomb-proof arsenal and the prison gate. This gate, which once housed criminals awaiting their sentence, is the last gate that remains of the original defence works. The city wall that used to repel invaders still surrounds the entire fortified city with its roughly 300 characteristic houses.