Fort Wierickerschans

Year of Disaster 1672
Fort Wierickerschans is a beautiful illustration of the saying that generals always prepare for the previous war. The fort was built in early 1673 at a location that had played a crucial role in the defense of Holland just a short time earlier. Half a year earlier, in June of the 'Year of Disaster' 1672, the French king Louis XIV invaded the Republic with a huge army. To stop his advance, a strip of land between Muiden and Brabant was flooded, which in some places was up to thirty kilometers wide. Even during the Dutch Revolt against the Spanish, this 'waterline strategy' had been successfully employed.

Dutch Waterline

By flooding the area to about 30 centimeters, there was no visible distinction between inundated land and the ditches and canals in the area. This made it impassable for a hostile army and for horses. It was also too shallow for larger vessels. The own troops could move along a few raised roads or dikes. By only defending the access points, a large area could be secured with a relatively small army.

Across the ice
When it began to freeze at the end of December 1672, several thousand French managed to cross the ice near Bodegraven - where the Waterline was only a few kilometers wide. After horrific plundering and murders in Zwammerdam and Bodegraven, they were forced to turn back by the invading thaw. However, the ice was no longer reliable, and the only escape route - the dikes along the Old Rhine - was heavily defended. In any case: it had to be so, for the Dutch troops had fled. The French, who would otherwise have been trapped like rats, could therefore pass without any problems.

Storage place and internment camp
The stadtholder William III, appointed in the Year of Disaster, immediately ordered the construction of a fort at this location. However, once this fort - Fort Wierickerschans - was built, it turned out to be redundant as the waterline had shifted eastward. Therefore, the fort was used for other purposes, such as a storage facility for gunpowder and, in World War I, for the internment of foreign officers. During World War II, the German navy took possession of the fort, and afterwards, local NSB members were imprisoned there for a short time. Due to this use, the fort had long been a mysterious place where onlookers were not welcome. Today, the fort is managed by Staatsbosbeheer and is accessible to the public.

Source: Canon of the Netherlands

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