Goes

Sister cities

• Panevėžys

History

Goes was founded in the 10th century on the edge of a creek: (the Short Gos). The village grew fast, and in the early 12th century it had a market square and a church devoted to Mary Magdalene. By 1300, it had a brick castle, now known as Oostende Castle. In 1405, Goes received city rights from William II, Duke of Bavaria, by his right as count of Holland, and in 1417, it was allowed to build town walls. The prosperity of the city was based upon the cloth industry and the production of salt. In the 16th century, Goes declined. Its connection to the sea silted up and in 1554 a large fire destroyed part of the city. In the autumn of 1572, during the course of the Eighty Years' War, Goes, in the Spanish Netherlands, was besieged by Dutch forces with the support of English troops. The siege was relieved in October 1572 by Spanish tercios, who waded across the Scheldt to attack the besieging forces. In 1577, the Spanish soldiers who occupied Goes were driven out by Prince Maurice of Nassau. The prince built a defence wall around Goes, which is still partly standing. From the 17th century, Goes did not play an important role, except as an agricultural centre. In 1868, a railway was constructed through it, but this did not lead to industrialisation. Agriculture remains the most important economic activity. Although the Netherlands were neutral in the First World War, seven bombs hit Goes and Kloetinge, due to an error by a British airplane. A house in Magdalenastreet in Goes was destroyed and one person killed. Goes did not suffer extensive damage during the Second World War, but was under German occupation until 1944. Goes did not experience much population growth until the 1970s and 1980s. Then, the city grew fast because of new districts like Goese Meer,…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Spoonbill

  Platalea leucorodia Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  28,473
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  24,505
• Common Redshank

  Tringa totanus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,622
• Pied Avocet

  Recurvirostra avosetta Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  16,520
• Brant

  Branta bernicla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,148
• Eurasian Curlew

  Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  15,919
• Eurasian Oystercatcher

  Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,954
• Common Shelduck

  Tadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,909