Because of its strategic location Wageningen was granted city rights as early as the 13th century. To strengthen the city Duke Charles of Guelders built a castle shortly after 1500. An imposing 17th-century model of the fortified town with its moat, walls, towers and castle makes up the centerpiece of the history room of the museum. After the destruction of the castle by French troops in 1672 the then lord of the castle, Baron Adolph Lubbert Torck, built a new castle on the foundations of the old one. In the basement of the museum can be seen the remains of the gatehouse of Torck’s castle.
References:The Jan Hus Memorial stands at one end of Old Town Square. The huge monument depicts victorious Hussite warriors and Protestants who were forced into exile 200 years after Hus, and a young mother who symbolises national rebirth. The monument was so large that the sculptor designed and built his own villa and studio where the work could be carried out. It was unveiled in 1915 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Jan Hus' martyrdom. The memorial was designed by Ladislav Šaloun and paid for solely by public donations.
Born in 1369, Hus became an influential religious thinker, philosopher, and reformer in Prague. He was a key predecessor to the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century. In his works he criticized religious moral decay of the Catholic Church. Accordingly, the Czech patriot Hus believed that mass should be given in the vernacular, or local language, rather than in Latin. He was inspired by the teachings of John Wycliffe.