Nieuwpoort owes its current form to the so-called Disaster Year of 1672. Because the dyke post in Ameide repeatedly fell into the hands of the French, the States of Holland ordered that Nieuwpoort be fortified. The city was given a defensive wall with six bastions. An interesting fact is that the inlet sluice is still located beneath the city hall, which prevented farmers from interfering with the inundations.