Vlaardingen searching for the earliest fort of Holland

VLAARDINGEN – Archeologists in this town near Rotterdam are hopeful they will unearth traces of its earliest structures, those of ten to thirteen centuries ago. They specifically are looking for evidence of a fort – the oldest in the province - which was built by Count Derek III of Holland shortly after the year 1,000, near the Grote Kerk (Great Church) on the market square. The building situated on a mount likely was a wooden structure. The mount also is of interest since it could turn out to be a prized heritage site, holding evidence of thirteen centuries of habitation. Since the national archeology protocol was adopted some years ago, important and at times startling discoveries have been made about early local history, greatly expanding knowledge about how ancestors lived.