{"id":15428,"date":"2020-03-06T15:43:22","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T13:43:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=15428"},"modified":"2021-03-31T14:57:09","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T12:57:09","slug":"bourtange-fortress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/netherlands\/region-groningen\/bourtange-fortress\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bourtange Fortress \u2013 back into the past"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just behind the German\/Dutch border in the Groningen province lies the small town Bourtange. And in Bourtange stands a fortress that was reconstructed masterfully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The origin of the Bourtange Fortress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Bourtange Fortress was created around 1580. The area around Groningen was mostly swampland at that time, only a few paved roads ran through the landscape. Wilhelm I of Orange had the fortress built in a carefully selected location between Heede and Groningen. He hoped to cut off the Spanish occupiers that had taken Groningen from the rest of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Festungseingang\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The construction\nof the fortress was completed in 1593. The facility was changed over\ntime and adapted when new technical developments emerged. I was\nsurprised to learn that the whole fortress was left to decay in times\nof peace only to be rebuild in times of war. Wouldn\u2019t it have been\neasier to keep the fortress in an acceptable state the whole\ntime?
\nThe location of the fortress was indeed so well selected\nthat historic reports suggest that iT has never been taken by\nattackers. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Eingang<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The fortress was\nused by the military until the middle of the 19th century. It was\nofficially given up in the military sense in 1851.
\nAfter the\nSecond World War, the whole region\u2019s infrastructure was weak and it\nsaw a dramatic population decline. It was decided to invest in\ntourism to make the region more attractive. As part of that action,\nthe old fortress was rebuild. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area around the Bourtange Fortress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\nreconstruction of the fortress was supposed to drive more visitors to\nthe area to make it more attractive as a whole.
\nIt is easy to\nget to the fortress from the big visitor car park. It is only a 5 to\nten-minute walk! A shuttle runs between the car park and the fortress\nduring the high season. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Festung<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The walk to the fortress is already worthwhile. The view of the fortress is lovely and we saw very picturesque reflections in the waters of the moat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The footprint of the fortress is a symmetrical pentagon with bastions at the corners. The fortress isn\u2019t all that big and the distance from one bastion to the next is only 200 meters. There is a moat around the fortress as well as ravelins (to protect the walls between the bastions), crownwork and a glacis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Festung<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Only wood and mud\nwas used for the reconstruction with the exception of the two gates\nand the small postern which are brickwork.
\nTwo bridges lead\ninto the fortress. Both bridges have guardhouses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visitors can walk\nfrom one bastion to the next which is a really nice walk around the\nfortress with a marvellous view. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Latrine<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Toilettenhaus<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I chuckled at the sight of the small houses at the end of the jetties in the moat. When we went to inspect them up close we realised that these were in fact toilet cubicles. The latrine seat with a hole above the water gave us a vague idea of how murky the water in the moat must have been back in the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bockswindm\u00fchle<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the fortress\nwall sits a large windmill. This reconstruction of a post mill from\nthe bastion was added in 1980. This wooden windmill was used as a\nhulling and corn mill. There is a second mill in the bastion. The\nmillstone of the Rossm\u00fchle (Horse Mill) can still be moved today\nwith the help of a horse.
\nAn open-air museum for the historic\nvillage culture was created inside the walls of the fortress. Small,\nreconstructed buildings house souvenir shops, restaurants, a hotel\nand small exhibition spaces as well as a visitor centre. There is\nalso a small Synagogue in Bourtange. This building from 1842 was\nrefurbished and is now a museum. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Festung<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t walk past the wooden horse on the market square. I first thought this is just a decoration piece. But that was wrong. This is actually a reconstructed torture device. Convicts were forced to sit on the horse with weights hanging down from their feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wildpferde<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For those who fancy a little walk after the visit to the Bourtange Fortress, the adjacent Nature Reserve is an opportunity to do so. If you are really lucky you might even spot a herd of Konik horses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Verteidigungsanlage<\/figure>
\n

Address:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vesting Bourtange
Willem Lodewijkstr.33
9545 PA Bourtange<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Opening Hours:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Visitor Centre:<\/strong>
1.2. – 29.3.
Monday to Friday: closed
Saturday, Sunday: 11-16
until 31.10.
Monday to Friday: 9 – 17
Saturday, Sunday: 10 – 17
1.11.- 29.12.
Monday to Friday: 9 \u2013 17
Saturday, Sunday: 11 \u2013 16
The fortress remains closed on some bank holidays<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Museum:<\/strong>
until 31.10.
Monday to Friday: 10:30 – 17
Saturday, Sunday: 10 – 17
1.11. bis 31.3.
Monday to Friday: closed
Saturday, Sunday: 11 – 16
The museum remains closed on some bank holidays<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ticket prices:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Admission to the fortress is free
There is a fee to enter the museums, a combi-ticket is available
Adults: 8.50\u20ac
Discounts are available<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just behind the German\/Dutch border in the Groningen province lies the small town Bourtange. And in Bourtange stands a fortress that was reconstructed masterfully.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[271],"tags":[42],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBourtange Fortress - Visit to the reconstructed fortress<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Netherlands, Groningen region - Bourtange fortress - reconstructed fortress, great for a visit: address, opening times, admission prices\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/netherlands\/region-groningen\/bourtange-fortress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bourtange Fortress - 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