DILLENBURG, 30/09/00 - Queen Beatrix unveiled a statue of William of Orange in the German city of Dillenburg on Friday. The forefather of the House of Orange-Nassau was born in Dillenburg Castle in 1533.

The bronze statue was made by Eva Broschek, an artist from neighboring Herborn. It shows William of Orange, who was nicknamed William the Silent, in his thirties and in his estimated actual size.

The statue was unveiled on account of the 125th anniversary of the William Tower or Wilhelmsturm. This tower marks the spot where the Dillenburg castle, which was destroyed by the French, was situated.

The Father of Fatherlands, who was murdered in 1584, lived in Dillenburg Castle up to his eleventh year. From the castle, he would later make preparations for the 1568 revolt of the Netherlands, which started off the Eighty Years' War.

Queen Beatrix came to Dillenburg by way of Frankfurt Airport. Her plane was initially to land in Burbach, but a bomb exploded there on Thursday. The missile was thought to originate from World War II and caused widespread damage.