The Grote Kerk (the “large church”) of Naarden is one of the town’s most prominent features, dating back to the 15th century. Besides the beautiful interior and connections to renowned Czech philosopher John Amos Comenius, people with a sharp eye will notice what appear to be—and are in fact—cannonballs lodged in the walls of the building. After Napoleon’s defeat in the 1813 Battle of Leipzig against the Sixth Coalition, the victors swept through many of his recently acquired territories, liberating them from French occupation. In the Dutch fortified city of Naarden,…
