Bourtange Fortress, Bourtange, Netherlands

Near the German border, in Westerwolde (Southeast Groningen), is the fortress Bourtange.

In 1580 William of Orange gave the order to build a fort on the sand ridge in the Bourtanger moor, on the border of modern Germany. On the order of William Louis of Nassau the fortress was raised in 1593.

Between 1593 and 1851 Bourtange was an important fortress. An agrarian village came into being when the fortress was dismantled in 1851. Only a few buildings still remembered the glory of yesteryear. In the nineteen sixties the county of Vlagtwedde took the initiative to reconstruct the fortress. The plan was implemented between 1967 and 1992. Ramparts were again raised, ditches were dug and soldiers’ barracks were built.

References:

Bourtange.nl

Castles and fortifications in Netherlands

User Reviews

Markus Haas (10 months ago)
A very nice place. Visited during winter time and I think it is most beautiful in spring and summer.

William Bastemeyer (11 months ago)
Went here with ma family on a rainy and windy day. Not all shops were open, however that did not stop us from shopping in the shops that were open. Made some nice drone pictures and had some fun sightseeing.

Kasia KE (11 months ago)
Holland in a nutshell. If you want to see how Dutchmen lived hundreds years ago, you'll have the vibe there. Nice to go with kids, although not many playgrounds or kids focused things there. Take a warm cap cuz it's vrieselijk windy!

ISchef (11 months ago)
I've been here twice, once during the fall season and now during Christmas season and both times it was incredibly cute and cozy. I've been to both markets, the regular one in Fall and the Christmas market and it's always been a wonderful time to walk around the adorable houses and shops as well as walking around the fort itself. I can highly recommend coming here at least once and particularly during the Christmas season. They have many kid friendly activities, too. You do have to purchase tickets for the markets but the prices are sensible, in my opinion. The market opening times and special themes can be found on their website. It's such a great highlight in Groningen province and a wonderful afternoon trip.

Regardless Adversity (12 months ago)
Impressive geo-engineering. Nice thing about it, you only have to pay if you want to visit the museum, so visiting the village is free.

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Carlsten is a stone fortress built on the orders of King Carl X of Sweden following the Treaty of Roskilde, 1658 to protect the newly acquired province of Bohuslän from hostile attacks. The site of Marstrand was chosen because of its location and its access to an ice free port. Initially a square stone tower was constructed, but by 1680 it was reconstructed and replaced by a round shaped tower. Successive additions to the fortress were carried out, by the inmates sentenced to hard labour, until 1860 when it was reported finished. The fortress was decommissioned as a permanent defense installation in 1882, but remained in military use until the early 1990s.

The fortress was attacked and sieged twice falling into enemy hands. In 1677 it was conquered by Ulrik Frederick Gyldenløve, the Danish military commander in Norway and in 1719 by the Norwegian Vice-Admiral Tordenskjold. At both occasions the fortress was returned to Swedish control through negotiations and treaties.

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