English: Translation of the text on the sign:< /br> "On this spot stood Heemstede House or Mansion. It was first built by Dirk van Hoylde in 1280, who came from the Vlaardingen area. The ambachtsheerlijkheid of Heemstede was enfeoffed to him by Count Floris V. From then on Dirk van Hoylede and his descendants used the surname 'van Heemstede'. The house was destroyed a couple of times and then rebuilt. In 1620 Amsterdam merchant (and later Grand Pensionary Adriaen Pauw purchased the heelijkheid, including its delapidated castle. After restoration and embellishment, it becamse a Renaissance summer mansion. As the negotiator for the States of Holland, he played an important role in the 1648 Peace of Munster that ended the Eighty Year War with Spain. As a memorial to this, he replaced the wooden access bridge with the Vredesbrug or Pons Pacis. By 1811, the house had become delapidated again, at which time it was demolished with the exception of the 1640 'Nederhuys' ("Lower House", consisiting of the current Old Mansion, the Peace Bridge and the Dove Gate. The form and measurements (40x25 meter) of the island on which you now stand are identical to the plan for the 1645 mansion."