A remarkable defensive ring made up of 46 forts and batteries as well as a multitude of dikes and sluices encircles the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. It’s the Defence Line (or ‘Stelling’) of Amsterdam. A historical monument, the Defence Line is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.
Inspiring trip to the Defence Line of Amsterdam
A large portion of the Defence Line of Amsterdam is (partly) open to the public and makes for a great day out for people young and old. A visit to the ‘Stelling’ offers a peek into the history of Dutch warfare and battle techniques and brings tales of war and defence back to life.
People of all ages can visit these extraordinary locations for a tour, exhibition or lunch. In addition, the Defence Line forms a point of departure or arrival for various hiking and biking trails through the beautiful Dutch landscape. A visit to the ‘Stelling’ is easy to combine with a trip to Amsterdam or other tourist destinations and sights, such as the towns of Haarlem and Volendam, the windmills at the ‘Zaanse Schans’ or the cheese market in Alkmaar.
Forten
Batterij aan de IJ-weg
The Battery along IJweg is now barely recognizable and not open to the public. In the old days, ...
Batterij aan de Sloterweg
Hoofddorp Dating back to 1906 the Battery along Sloterweg (a road that is nowadays called Rijnlanderweg) is ...
Batterijen aan het Gein
The batteries along the river Gein were originally constructed around 1810 as post number 8 of the ...
Fort aan de Drecht
Uithoorn The Fort along the Drecht was completely restored in 2000, after which it was given a ...
Fort aan de Jisperweg
Zuidoostbeemster The Fort along Jisperweg has natural surroundings of great value. The trees and bushes offer ...
Fort aan de Liede
Haarlemmerliede The Fort along the Liede is one of the four fortresses that were built after the reclamation of ...
Fort aan de Middenweg
Zuidoostbeemster The Fort along Middenweg was finished in 1914, as was the Fort along Jisperweg, making them the ...
Fort aan de Ossenmarkt (Vesting Weesp)
Weesp A while ago, the Fort at the Ossenmarkt was restored. The draw mechanism of the former drawbridge ...
Fort aan de Winkel
Abcoude The landscape in between the Fort near Waver-Amstel and the Fort along the Winkel has remained ...
Fort aan den Ham
Uitgeest The Fort along Den Ham houses a military museum. In the former barracks you can visit an ...
Fort benoorden Purmerend
Zuidoostbeemster Today, the Fort north of Purmerend is home to a wine importer. The fortress can be visited for a ...
Fort benoorden Spaarndam
Velsen-Noord The Fort north of Spaarndam is still in the state it was abandoned in, in the year 1950. A German ...
Fort bezuiden Spaarndam
Spaarndam The Fort south of Spaarndam is home, amongst other things, to café/terrace Fort-Zuid, a ...
Fort bij Aalsmeer
Aalsmeerderbrug In the Fort near Aalsmeer you'll find the CRASH Luchtoorlog en Verzetmuseum (Aerial Warfare and ...
Fort bij Abcoude
Abcoude Fort near Abcoude is the oldest Defence Line fort and is surrounded by nature. Consisting partly ...
Fort bij De Kwakel
De Kwakel The premises of the Fort near De Kwakel are now home to Bar ’t Fort and the offices of ...
Fort bij de Liebrug
Haarlemmerliede Today the Fort near the Liebrug offers a home to, amongst others, wine importers Les Chiens Blancs ...
Fort bij Edam
Edam The fortress is located approximately one kilometre (0.6 miles) east of the centre of the old town ...
Fort bij Hinderdam
Nederhorst den Berg Today the grounds of the Fort near Hinderdam are hardly recognizable as such, because the island ...
Fort bij Hoofddorp
Hoofddorp The Fort near Hoofddorp dates back to 1904. The most striking feature of the fortress is its ...
Fort bij Kudelstaart
Kudelstaart Zeilfort Kudelstaart is a multifunctional water sports center with a wide range of public ...
Fort bij Kwadijk
Kwadijk The engineer depot and fort watchman’s house are what remains of the Fort near Kwadijk. The ...
Fort bij Marken-Binnen
Markenbinnen The Fort Markenbinnen is currently being used by RBOC "Fort Markenbinnen", an education and ...
Fort bij Nigtevecht
Abcoude The Fort near Nigtevecht was completed in 1903. A large part of this stronghold was made ...
Fort bij Penningsveer
Haarlemmerliede The Fort near Penningsveer is a provincial monument. The wooden fort watchman's house is the sole ...
Fort bij Spijkerboor
Westbeemster The Fort near Spijkerboor is the only Defence Line fortress that has a gun turret that can be ...
Fort bij Uithoorn
Uithoorn The Fort near Uithoorn is sometimes also referred to as the Fort near Amstelhoek. Just like the ...
Fort bij Veldhuis
Heemskerk The Fort near Veldhuis is home to the Luchtoorlogmuseum (Aerial Warfare Museum). It houses an ...
Fort bij Velsen
Beverwijk This is the only Defence Line fortress made of concrete that has been partly demolished. The fort ...
Fort C (Muizenfort)
Muiden As early as the seventeenth century the fortified town of Muiden was part of the (Old) Dutch ...
Fort Coehoorn
Fort Coehoorn was a planned fortress that was never realized. In 1910, the Dutch army chiefs ...
Fort H (Vesting Muiden)
Muiden Part of the fortifications of Muiden, restaurant Fort H is situated at a unique spot on the ...
Fort in de Botshol
Abcoude The Fort in the Botshol is the only Defence Line fort whose defensible earthwork from 1895 has ...
Fort K'ijk (Fort bij Krommeniedijk)
Uitgeest The Fort near Krommeniedijk sits beautifully within the landscape. In 2004 most of the overgrowth ...
Fort Resort Beemster (Fort aan de Nekkerweg)
Zuidoostbeemster The Fort along Nekkerweg is home to a special resort: Fort Resort Beemster. It combines hotel and ...
Fort Uitermeer
Weesp Located right next to Fort Uitermeer is the restaurant Uit & Meer. Situated along the river ...
Fort Waver-Amstel
Waverveen In Fort Waver-Amstel you will find wine importer Krimpenfort Wijnen. Open door days are organized ...
Fort Zuidwijkermeer
Beverwijk Amsterdam’s film museum EYE used this fortress to store its collection of nitrate films. ...
Forteiland IJmuiden
IJmuiden The Fort near IJmuiden dominates the access to the North Sea Canal. The three-storey fortress ...
Forteiland Pampus
Muiden Located in lake IJmeer, about 20 minutes by boat from the fortress town of Muiden, the Fort Island ...
HEMbrugterrein
Zaandam Though the Hembrugterrain isn't part of de UNESCO World Heritage Stelling van Amsterdam, the ...
Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen
Vijfhuizen Kunstfort near Vijfhuizen is a destination for art, a unique location ...
Muziekfort (Fort aan de Sint Aagtendijk)
Beverwijk The Fort along the St. Aagtendijk has been given a remarkable new lease on life as a rehearsal ...
Paviljoen Puur (Kustbatterij bij Diemerdam)
Diemen A new pavilion, Paviljoen Puur, is built near the Coastal Battery near Diemerdam. A ...
Rijksmuseum Muiderslot
Muiden The Muiderslot is a genuine medieval moated castle: it’s a square castle with a drawbridge, ...
Vuurtoreneiland (Kustbatterij bij Durgerdam)
Durgerdam
Westbatterij (Vesting Muiden)
Muiden The West Battery’s function was to support Muiderslot castle (reinforced with five bastions) ...
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Passable part of an inundation in the form of elevated terrain, a road, (railway) embankment or waterway.
Collective term for projectile weapons.
Also called bulwark. An outward-projecting pentagonal structure, suitable for delivering flanking fire.
A storage site for military equipment. The parks in the Defence Line are spread out over sectors (sector parks) and groups (group parks).
A battery that is positioned behind armour plates.
A fort with one or more armoured artillery positions.
A number of artillery pieces combined into one group.
Shielded position from which defenders can harass the enemy.
A (low) defensive structure that extends into the moat and can be used to give flanking fire.
A space that is protected against enemy fire and is outfitted with a gun port, behind which a piece of artillery is placed.
An army division whose tasks include, amongst other things, the construction of temporary and permanent defensive structures. The term ‘engineer’ is derived from the French word ‘ingenieur’.
Also called covert way. A pathway that is protected from enemy fire by an earthen wall and can be used for transporting soldiers and military equipment.
Also called stop-log sluice. A temporary dam that stops the inundation water when beams are stacked up in its recesses.
Water purification system that improves the quality of drinking water by extracting iron.
Earthen elevation surrounding a defensive structure, featuring a breastwork.
A (wooden) shed where artillery and military engineering equipment were stored.
The part of a terrain that can be fired at.
Long-range flanking fire: fire support for the secondary forts. Short-range flanking fire: fire that covers the surroundings of the defensive structure itself.
Known in Dutch as ‘Vestingwet’. The act of the 18th of April 1874 that stipulated which forts would become part of the Dutch national defence system.
The side of a defensive structure that is facing away from the enemy.
In the Defence Line forts this is a casemate giving short-range and long-range flanking fire.
Undercarriage for a cannon or other heavy firearm.
Shell that is filled with highly explosive material.
The flooding of land to keep the enemy at bay.
Also called inlet sluice. A sluice that is constructed with the aim of letting water into a certain area.
An independent system of connected defensive structures.
Artillery that gives frontal fire over large distances, directly aimed at enemy positions.
A simple (temporary) defensive structure manned by a small number of soldiers.
An underground connecting passageway that is shellproof.
Known in Dutch as ‘Kringenwet’. Act of January 1853 that stipulates restrictions with regard to the construction of buildings in the vicinity of defensive structures, the so-called forbidden zones (‘kringen’), in order to guarantee a free field of fire.
A chart that is installed next to the gun port to give the operators of the artillery insight into the distances of targets and the corresponding firing angles.
A place of last refuge for the defenders of a fort, which can be defended independently.
A turret that is lifted up to give fire and is retracted and thus made almost invisible once the firing has stopped.
Position that provides shelter to retreating troops.
Battery that is situated in close proximity to a fort and performs some of the tasks that have been assigned to that fort.
The ability of a building to withstand gunfire thanks to brickwork, concrete or a bottom layer.
A shellproof depot for storing artillery and other essential military equipment.