Fortifications

Fortifications are military constructions or buildings designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and also used to solidify rule in a region during peace time. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs. The term is derived from the Latin fortis ("strong") and facere ("to make").

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    Fort along Nekkerweg, North front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    In 1886 the Fort along Nekkerweg was completed as a defendable earthwork. The shellproof building was finished in 1912 for the purpose of defending the accesses that were formed by the Nekkerweg and Volgerweg roads in the Beemster Polder.

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    Fort along the Drecht, South front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defence Line of Amsterdam (in Dutch named Stelling van Amsterdam) is a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam, consisting of 42 forts located between 10 to 15 kilometers from the centre, and lowlands that can easily be flooded in time of war.

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    Fort along the Liede, West front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    The Fort along the Liede is one of the four fortresses that were built after the reclamation of lake Haarlemmermeer. On the northern part of the fort’s grounds there is a casemate carrying the Mercury emblem of the Corps of Engineers and the year 1914.

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    Fort along the St. Aagtendijk, Northwest front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    The Fort along the St. Aagtendijk has been given a remarkable new lease on life as a rehearsal space for musicians. Unique to this fort is the front caponier that was made from concrete: it’s an extension to the centre of the fort’s front wall that is outfitted on both sides with embrasures that could be used to fire sideways. The front of this caponier was protected against shellfire by a heavy protective earth wall.

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    Fort Frederick, Kingston, Ontario

    Fort Frederick is a historic military building located on Point Frederick on the grounds of the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its construction dates to 1846 and the Oregon boundary dispute. The fort consists of earthworks surrounding a Martello tower.

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    Fort Grand Duke Constantine

    Since 2002, the Fort Grand Duke Constantine is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. Furthermore, it is in a protected cultural property under the Hague Convention and with the blue and white emblem.

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    Fort Henry, Kingston, Ontario

    Fort Henry (also known as Fort Henry National Historic Site) is located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on Point Henry, a strategic, elevated point near the mouth of the Cataraqui River where it flows into the St. Lawrence River at the east end of Lake Ontario.

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    Fort in the Waver-Botshol, South front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    The Fort in the Botshol is the only Defence Line fort whose defensible earthwork from 1895 has been preserved. The soggy peat soil around Amsterdam made it necessary to first strengthen the terrain with large amounts of sand. Also unique is the bridge behind the fort watchman's house, whose centre piece could be removed in times of danger.

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    Fort Ino (Fort Nikolaevsky)

    Fort Ino or Fort Nikolaevsky is an abandoned early 20th-century Russian coastal fortification situated on the northern shore of Neva Bay in the Gulf of Finland.

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    Fort Island IJmuiden, Northwest front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    Fort Island IJmuiden (Dutch: Forteiland IJmuiden) is situated at the estuary of the Noordzeekanaal and is part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. This sea fort island was built in 1885 as the most important advanced defence post of the entrance to Amsterdam.

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    Fort near Aalsmeer, Southwest front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    Fort near Aalsmeer (1905), in popular language also called Fort Rijsenhout, is part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. The fort is made with a double fort canal. Special is that the lever dome buildings remained intact, while most of these were taken apart and blown up during World War II.

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    Fort near De Kwakel, South front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    The Fort bij De Kwakel is a fort that is part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam. It's located in the village of De Kwakel. It's one of four forts that form the linie Kudelstaart - Uithoorn. To the west is fort bij Kudelstaart, to the east you find fort aan de Drecht and fort bij Uithoorn.

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    Fort near Hinderdam, Southeast front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    Today the grounds of the Fort near Hinderdam are hardly recognizable as such, because the island is fully overgrown. Natuurmonumenten (a society for the preservation of nature monuments in the Netherlands) consciously allows nature to erase the traces of the military past.

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    Fort near Kwadijk, North front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    The function of the Fort near Kwadijk was to defend the accesses that were formed by the Amsterdam-Hoorn railroad and the Middelie-Axwijk road. Construction of the defendable earthwork with moat was completed in 1895, but work on the concrete fortress was abandoned with nothing but the foundations and part of the flooring put in place.

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    Fort near Marken-Binnen, Northwest front, Defence Line of Amsterdam

    The Fort Markenbinnen is currently being used by RBOC "Fort Markenbinnen", an education and training centre for firefighters and rescue workers. This foundation has refurbished the fortress. The wooden partitions in the fort’s premises and the sanitation facilities are still in place.