Kerkstraat is a street in Bredevoort’s old centre. It begins as a side street off Landstraat and continues all the way to Koppelstraat.
Kerkstraat was originally a street running along the town wall and was formerly known as Achterstraat. It is one of Bredevoort’s oldest streets. The road ran parallel to the former town wall. At the bend in the street there once stood a defensive tower, on the courtyard behind the smithy. The houses on the western side must have been built against the wall or on its foundations. When Bredevoort’s fortifications were renewed in the 17th century and the town wall was subsequently demolished, an earthen rampart was constructed here, again running parallel to Kerkstraat.
In 1898, remains of the wall were found beneath the junction with Landstraat. The line of the wall can still be recognised with the naked eye from the way the façade has subsided: in the centre, where the wall foundations lie, the façade has not sunk. The town wall ran from north to south from the Aalterpoort. In 1965, remains of the wall were found on the site of the smithy during the construction of a new workshop. Along with material used to fill the moat, wooden posts, an iron fire grate and a Spanish sword bearing the inscription ‘Tholeta’ were discovered. A distinctive stone of unknown origin still lies near the entrance today.