Stelling van Amsterdam Trail

(49.0 km)

An ingenious piece of Dutch water engineering, that is what you see on the Stelling van Amsterdam trail. Explore seven forts and a tangle of locks, dams, canals and dykes.

A harness for the capital, a place for the government and royal family to withdraw in times of war. That was the idea when, at the end of the nineteenth century, the National War Office decided to create a strip of between fifteen and twenty meters long as a defense line around Amsterdam. A soggy harness because when the enemy presented itself, access was prevented by flooding (inundating) large pieces of land
inside that strip. At the so-called accesses – places that could not be put under water - forts sprang up (42 in all) so that the enemy could not slip through here.

An ingenious piece of Dutch water engine…

A harness for the capital, a place for the government and royal family to withdraw in times of war. That was the idea when, at the end of the nineteenth century, the National War Office decided to create a strip of between fifteen and twenty meters long as a defense line around Amsterdam. A soggy harness because when the enemy presented itself, access was prevented by flooding (inundating) large pieces of land
inside that strip. At the so-called accesses – places that could not be put under water - forts sprang up (42 in all) so that the enemy could not slip through here.

An ingenious piece of Dutch water engineering, that is what you see on the Stelling van Amsterdam trail. Explore seven forts and a tangle of locks, dams, canals and dykes. And with a little imagination you can see the soldiers of the past keeping watch here. Because, since then the landscape has changed very little. For a long time building was forbidden within a radius of one kilometer of the Stelling and so nature has been able to show itself in all its exuberanc.

How it works
You cycle the trail with the help of the so-called junction system. A junction is a uniquely numbered spot where two cycle paths cross each other. The trails in this book are set out on the basis of these numbers. The only thing you have to do is follow the numbers in the sequence in which they are presented. You can recognise the junctions by the green and white signs along the way.

How do I get there?
Public transportation from Amsterdam CS. Bus line 314 in the direction of Hoorn. Get off at 'Bus station Edam'. 

From the bus stop to the bicycle rental: Walk in the direction of restaurant Hof van Holland. Walk over the bridge and take a right onto the Lingerzijde. Follow the road to the left and stay on the Lingerzijde, this road leads to the Kleine Kerkstraat. Take a right at the end of this street onto the Spuistraat and right away take left to the Spui. Take the first street to the left onto the Grote Kerkstraat. After one minute you'll see the bicycle rental on your left. 

From the bicycle rental to the first junction: Return to the restaurant Hof van Holland. On this streetcorner you will find junction 95.  

Neem alvast een kijkje

Dit ga je zien

95
94
28
04
05
46
49
25
43
60
61
06
07
08
09
11
10
63
64
97
95
  • 95
  • 94
  • 28
  • 04
  • 05
  • 46
  • 49
  • 25
  • 43
  • 60
  • 61
  • 06
  • 07
  • 08
  • 09
  • 11
  • 10
  • 63
  • 64
  • 97
  • 95