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Nederland - Bussum, Fort Werk IV

Fort Werk IV in Bussum is an unique fortress fort within the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie (New Dutch Waterline). This defence line spans 85 kilometres; it starts at Muiden and ends at the Biesbosch and is 3 to 5 kilometres wide. It consists of 45 forts, 6 fortified towns, 2 castles, 85 machine gun casemates, over 700 concrete troop shelters and casemates as well as more than 100 military sluices and water engineering works. The New Dutch Waterline is the largest National Monument in the Netherlands.

Naarden - one of the fortified towns - is located in the foothills of a high sandy area and remained a weak spot in the waterline; inundation was not possible in this elevated area. Due to the improvement of the artillery, especially the range of the cannons, the fortress of Naarden had to be defended from a greater distance. It was therefore decided to construct a circle of five fortresses around Naarden in the period from 1868 to 1870.

Four of the five mainly earthen works have meanwhile disappeared. The largest fortress, Fort Werk IV, has been preserved. It is built on a rather high point and is a fortress without water. It only has a ‘dry moat’, containing a wall with loopholes as a physical barrier. This crenellated wall is unique in the Netherlands and one of the main reasons why the fort is a National Monument. The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since July 2021.

Fort Werk IV has been restored to its former glory. As of July 2018, the fort is owned by theatre Spant! and nowadays used for business meetings and other events. The fort is freely accessible.
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42 comments

Annemarie said:

pips are also very interesting

have a nice day:)
2 years ago ( translate )

Madeleine Defawes said:

Superbe cadrage !
Bonne journée. Amitiés
2 years ago ( translate )

J. Gafarot said:

Remarkable as most of the man made works your country has made along those last 8 centuries, correct me if I am wrong please.
Thank you for the note.
Enjoy a nice day Jaap.
2 years ago

Percy Schramm said:

Impressive construction and pictures. And the informations are very interesting.
2 years ago

Valeriane ♫ ♫ ♫¨* said:

une vue remarquable et l'histoire de fort ******************
bonne journée Jaap♫
2 years ago ( translate )

John Cass said:

Nicely framed shot Jaap, and a wonderful set of images.
2 years ago

Rosalyn Hilborne said:

An interesting place Jaap! I like your framing of the main picture and the PiP's are superb.
Happy Wednesday.
2 years ago

Schussentäler said:

Eine sehr interessante Festungsanlage, danke für die Informationen
2 years ago ( translate )

Marta Wojtkowska said:

Beautiful (the first PiP is my favorite)!
HWW!
2 years ago

J.Garcia said:

Amazing images of this fort and its gardens that recount relevant historical events
Thank you very much also for notable text, as always, Jaap
2 years ago

MaggsMep said:

What an interesting place.
Great series Jaap.
HWW
2 years ago

micritter said:

A magnificent photo. So beautifully composed and framed with lovely colors, The PiPs are also wonderful.
2 years ago

Graham Chance said:

Impressive fort and earthworks Jaap. Superb framing on the main image.
2 years ago

Hansruedi Voegele said:

Sehr gute und Interessante Aufnahmen Jaap!
2 years ago ( translate )

RHH said:

Interesting commentary, Jaap, and a place I would dearly love to see, especially after your description of it.
2 years ago ( translate )