Fort at Spijkerboor

Hidden in the polder landscape of the Beemster lies the largest fort of the Defence Line of Amsterdam, Fort bij Spijkerboor. There is a lot to see in the fort: ammunition rooms, cannons and an armoured turret gun. Check the website of Natuurmonumenten for the open days: www.natuurmonumenten.nl.

Visitors can take a tour of the outside of the fort moat at any time. The fort is wheelchair accessible only on the ground floor. You can park at the Westdijk and walk the last part (approx. 300 meters). Only disabled people are allowed to drive through, past the barrier to the entrance gate of the fort and park there. Cyclists are always allowed to ride through, you can park the bike at the entrance gate.

History
Fort bij Spijkerboor is the only fort of the Stelling whose armoured turret can be visited. The two guns with a calibre of 10.5 cm had a range of 10 km. The two-story fortress served as a penitentiary for some brief periods; during the war as a house of detention for soldiers, after the war Dutch people who had collaborated with the occupying forces were imprisoned in the fort. The bars date from that time, as do the murals in the poterne. From 1947 onwards, conscientious objectors for the Dutch East Indies were housed in the fort. The fort has recently been restored. Fort bij Spijkerboor was built as a defence of the dikes along the Beemsterringvaart and the Noord-Hollands Kanaal with the roads running along it. The defensible earthwork was completed in 1895. The bombproof building was completed in 1911. The fort was the main support for the northern part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam.

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