Fort Benoorden | Purmerend
Fort Benoorden is part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site 'Hollandse Waterlinies'. This defensive line of forts was built 15 to 20 kilometres around Amsterdam between 1880 and 1914.
Within this ring, the army, government and king could retreat in case of (possible) attacks on the Netherlands. An ingenious system allowed the land around the defence line to be flooded. Too shallow for boats and too deep for men and horses. Five forts and an inundation sluice of this defence line are located in De Beemster.
This fort was built to defend the vulnerable points formed by the Beemsterringdijk, Purmerenderweg and Rijperweg roads. The defensible earthwork was completed in 1895. The bombproof main building from 1912 is connected by covered corridors to the two lifting turret buildings. Today, wine is stored between the thick walls of this fort, as a wine importer has been located here since 1981.
The fort north of Purmerend wer...
Within this ring, the army, government and king could retreat in case of (possible) attacks on the Netherlands. An ingenious system allowed the land around the defence line to be flooded. Too shallow for boats and too deep for men and horses. Five forts and an inundation sluice of this defence line are located in De Beemster.
This fort was built to defend the vulnerable points formed by the Beemsterringdijk, Purmerenderweg and Rijperweg roads. The defensible earthwork was completed in 1895. The bombproof main building from 1912 is connected by covered corridors to the two lifting turret buildings. Today, wine is stored between the thick walls of this fort, as a wine importer has been located here since 1981.
The fort north of Purmerend was only added to the Defence Line of Amsterdam at a late stage (1907). The construction of this fort, which is part of the northern front of the Defence Line, made use of several new insights. One of the novelties applied was the construction of so-called poternes - corridors covered with steel and concrete - which formed a completely safe connection between the main building and the artillery units.
Poternes were constructed to the two lifting turrets, which housed the large artillery pieces, and to the machine gun emplacements set up at the front. On the right side of the fort's front, part of the terrain was excavated. This was done when a new access road was built.
