HISTORY OF FORTRESS GRAVE In 1133 Floris de Zwarte was killed by the Lords (Godfried and Herman) of Kuyc. In an act of revenge the castle of Cuijk was destroyed, and the two brothers were banished from the Land of Cuijk. When they returned, in 1137, Herman decided to rebuild his castle, but not in the same place. He chose a low level sandhill, downstream on the left bank of the river Maas, which was surrounded by swamp. Around the new Castle a settlement came into existence, which was called Grave. Jan I of Cuijk was of great importance to Grave, he ruled from 1265 - 1308 and normally resided in the castle of Grave. Around 1290 Jan I of Cuijk awarded various concessions to the town. He was the founder of the St. Catharina Hospital for the Sick and Destitute, and the Chapel connected to the St. Elisabeth Church. During the rule of Jan I of Cuijk Grave expanded and was fortified. In the year 1423 the fortress Grave and the "Land of Cuijk" came under the House of Egmond, and Arnoud van Egmond, The Duke of Gelre, became its ruler. During the reign of Arnoud the fortifications of Grave were improved. Arnoud was kidnapped from his own castle during the winter of 1465 by his degenerate son Adolf, taken across the frozen inner canal and locked up in a dungeon in Buren, where he was freed six years later by Karel de Stoute and he regained Grave. At the beginning of 1568 Spanish troops invaded Grave. Nine years later Grave returned to State Government thanks to the help of the Prince of Orange. In 1586 the Duke of Parma arrived at Grave and after a 3 months' siege Grave was back under Spanish rule. The great Prince Maurits took care that in 1602 Grave was freed of Spanish occupation forever. Until 1672 no skirmishes of note took place, but Grave and its population were being exploited and it did not prosper. Due to a tactical mistake of the state army the fortress fell into French hands undamaged in 1672. Two years later Lt. General Rabenhaubt appeared at Grave with a large state army to drive the French occupation, under the Marquess de Chamilly, away from the fortress. After a siege of nearly 4 months the Fortress Grave was surrendered to the Prince of Orange by the Marques de Chamilly. Most buildings in the town were in ruin and it would take years before the impoverished population would be able to rebuild the houses to a reasonable standard. The St. Elisabeth Church, the Town Hall and the St. Catharina Hospital were badly damaged. The castle of Grave had become uninhabitable and was not restored. In 1675 the building of barracks and stables was begun in an effort to free the 'burghers' of military billeting. Prince William III enabled the town to flourish by giving favourable concessions. The civil population in 1786 was only 1730, whilst military powers in Grave were 5 times that amount. The town and its 'burghers' could no longer serve at the beck and call of these powers. In 1794 the French army arrived at the fortress and, after a heroic battle, General de Bons had to surrender the fortress to the French. Due to the many wars the population had become impoverished and lost its prosperity. At the foundation of the Netherlands in 1813 peace returned to Europe, but the annual floods of the 'Beerse Maas' hindered the town in its development. Due to these floods, which sometimes isolated Grave 3 times during a winter, the inhabitants of the town had to rely on their own resources - devoid of recreation and industry. In 1929 the construction of the Maasbrug (Bridge over the river Maas) was completed ending the isolation of Grave. The approach road to the bridge, however, destroyed a large part of the westerly fortifications. In the thirties it was not possible to develop Grave unlike the rest of the Netherlands. During the Second World War the population lived quietly under the German occupation. The town survived the unexpected liberation on 17th September 1944 undamaged. Until the end of the war Grave remained a slumbering town, resting on it's past laurels. After 1945 Grave was taken out of its isolation by the arrival of industry and the building of houses in the districts of Zittert, Bikkelkamp, Mars, Estersveld and Stoof. The development of the town is mainly concentrated in the centre of Grave. Reconstruction and restoration by the Town Council and private individuals has enhanced the (historic) street scene even further. IMPORTANT VISITORS It is obvious that in the past the city of Grave was very important because of its strategic position. Apart from a lot of famous army commanders, the importance of Grave was highlighted by the arrival of many VIP's. Among others Archduke Maximiliaan of Austria, Prince William of Orange, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his brother King Louis Napoleon, King William I and King William II came to Grave to inspect the fortifications in person.