Fort Boven-Lent

Fort Boven-Lent or Sprokkelenburg is a fort on the northern bank of the Waal River east of the village of Lent. The fort was built in 1862, primarily for the defense of the city of Nijmegen and later to protect the railway bridge over the Waal. The fort consists of a building with casemates, a tower, a moat with a glacis surrounding it. source: wikipedia

In 1832, the order for the construction of the first fort was ultimately given. Three of the six forts were built along the river because, in the early 19th century, much transportation of heavy military equipment took place over water and the threat from Germany was considered significant. On the northern side of the river, Fort Sprokkelenburg arose, later called Fort Boven Lent, and Fort Nieuw Knotsenburg, later named Fort Beneden Lent. On the southern side of the river, Fort Sterrenschans was built on a hill. On the eastern side of the city, Fort Kijk-in-de-Pot was constructed, so named because one could see from a high point in the courtyard of the fort where the kitchen was located. On the western side of the city, Fort Indië and Fort Batavia were merged into Fort Kraaijenhof, named after the designer of the defense system. When the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870, another defense point was built along the river, called Fort Ooij, and a little further east outside the city, Fort Kwakkenberg. However, in 1876 Nijmegen ultimately lost its status as a fortified city, and the demolition of the entire complex began. Ultimately, only Fort Boven and Fort Beneden Lent remained preserved in the hands of the military, both serving as storage facilities with only a limited garrison.

Nijmegen was designated a fortress by the Dutch state. Therefore, due to the Fortress Law, it was forbidden to dismantle the fortifications or build outside of them, to protect the city optimally and have a clear line of fire. After the introduction of the Fortress Act in 1874, Nijmegen was able to dismantle its fortifications and expand the city, which happened systematically. A railway bridge was also built, connecting Nijmegen to the Dutch railway network. Thus, Fort Boven-Lent lost its role in defending the city of Nijmegen but together with Fort Beneden Lent took on the function of defending the strategically located railway bridge. During World War I, the fort was manned, as it was at the start of World War II.

What was then called Fort Boven Lent is now known as ‘the Wine Fort’. The fort played a limited role for a long time, but after World War II its importance grew again, as it was used to store zinc sheets and ammunition to blow up the dikes and divert the river into the polders during a Russian invasion. When this proved to be an outdated idea as well, the military disposed of the fort in 1959, and it fell to the Domain and remained empty for a while. In the early 1980s, a wine importer started operating from the fort, after which some hospitality activities gradually developed, and the fort acquired its current function. source: mijn gelderland

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