Fort De Roovere was part of the West Brabant Dutch Water Line. It is an earthen fort that goes through a wall (the Ligneweg) and is connected to Fort Pinssen. The fort is open from the ‘back’, and the ‘front’ consists of two bastions. The fort has a dry moat and the banks are overgrown with trees. In 1747, during the Austrian War of Succession (1740–1748) the fort was under siege by the French. This siege has been extensively documented. Eventually, the fortress Bergen op Zoom fell and the siege was abandoned.
Over the years, the de Roovere fort has fallen into major disrepair. It has only recently been restored through contributions. In addition, a bridge was built to access the fort across its moat. The designers felt it would be inappropriate to build a bridge over the moat, so instead, they decided to construct a partially submerged bridge, rendering it practically invisible. The bridge has taken on the name 'The Moses Bridge,' as it appears to have divided the moat's waters. This design allows people to cross virtually undetected at water level: only a few bobbing heads are usually visible. Its construction is entirely of wood waterproofed with foil.
A foundation has been established, Friends of Fort de Roovere, whose goal is to make sure the fort is not forgotten. In the middle of 2010, extensive renovation of the fort began with the removal of the undergrowth and a deepening of the old moat so that the fort could be more easily recognizable as such. The clearing of the area led to many local protests. Remarkably, very little to no interest was paid toarcheological research as there should be traces of the French siege nearby. Local amateurs with metal detectors still regularly findcannonballs there, which must have come from the siege.
References:The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.