Vestingwerken van Naarden
Naarden is one of the best preserved fortified cities in Europe and is known for its star shape. Since 2021, the fortress, as part of the Dutch Waterline, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Naarden Fortress has been continuously expanded and adapted in the past as a result of advances in weapon technology and the various sieges that the city has endured.
Location
Naarden
Year built
1675-1685, 1875-1880, 1895-1906
Client
The Dutch State
Architects
Including Adriaan van Dortsman and Jacobus van Lokhorst
Special feature
Unesco World Heritage as part of the Dutch Waterlines
Owned by Monumentenbezit
Since 2016
Wheelchair accessible
No
Visitor information
The fortifications of Naarden are free to visit. Some of the buildings have been restored and are rented out, but you can walk or cycle along the old military buildings and fortifications. Are you visiting the fortress? Start at the visitor center de Gele Loods
Visiting address:
Ruijsdaelplein 10, 1411 RD Naarden-Vesting
Before 1350, Naarden was situated somewhat more to the northeast, on the former Zuiderzee. During the Hook and Cod Wars, the city was completely destroyed. Count Willem V of Holland decided to rebuild the city further inland. The new Naarden was more strategically situated than the old Naarden, and was also further removed from the advancing Zuiderzee. At the same time, the count gave the inhabitants the right to construct defensive works. These were probably initially simple in design.
The new Naarden flourished economically. The city had a harbour and profited from a flourishing cloth industry. The prosperity came to an end when the Spanish troops massacred the population and set fire to the city in 1572. In 1579 Adriaen Anthonisz. made a design to provide the city with completely new fortifications.
In 1672, however, the fortifications appeared to be in poor condition. They were outdated and subsided. The French troops of King Louis XIV were able to take the city effortlessly in June 1672. More than a year after the French occupation, the Dutch army under the command of Prince William III managed to recapture the fortress, which had been reinforced by the French in the meantime.
Naarden occupied an important position in the defence of Holland in general, and Amsterdam in particular. After the reconquest from the French, the city was provided with new fortifications. In contrast to other fortifications, these works were not made of earth, but of stone. In the period between 1675 and 1685, Naarden received its current wall consisting of six bastions (Oud Molen, Katten, Oranje, Promers, Turfpoort and Nieuw Molen) and six ravelins, more or less its definitive form.
In the first half of the 18th century, attention for the fortifications waned. After a relatively long period of peace in Western Europe, the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) made it clear that the defenses had to remain strong. In the second half of the 18th century, Naarden experimented with inundations. At the end of the 18th century, a start was made with the construction of fortifications outside the fortress.
In 1787 Naarden was briefly occupied by Prussian troops. In 1795 a 14-year occupation by France followed. The French, in 1813-1814, under General Guétard de la Porte, held out for 6 months during a siege of the fortress, and could have continued for a while longer, but had to surrender the city to the Dutch army on orders of the new French government.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the fortifications were inspected several times and plans for improvement were made. Naarden had been part of the New Dutch Waterline since 1815. The developments in the arms industry from roughly the second half of the 19th century had major consequences for the defenses of Naarden. Due to the introduction of rifled guns, defenses had to be made bombproof by covering them with a layer of earth several meters thick. Initially, only new defenses were made bombproof. However, the Franco-German war of 1870-1871 was the first time that the destructive power of the new guns was clearly demonstrated. From that moment on, all works were made bombproof.
The many earth-covered buildings that can still be found on the bastions and ravelins were constructed during this modernisation (1873-1880). Examples of these are the large barracks complexes of the bastions Oud Molen, Katten, Oranje and Promers, but also the smaller buildings, such as sheds, guardhouses and shelters. Between 1895 and 1906 , concrete shelters were built on the covered road. Today, Naarden is one of the best preserved fortified towns in Europe and is especially known for its unique star shape.
In 1926, Naarden's role as a fortification came to an end. Almost immediately, people started thinking about urban expansion and the associated demolition of fortifications. The fortifications were ultimately not transferred to the city. Partly due to the Menno van Coehoorn Foundation, established in 1932, and the decision of the Ministry of War not to transfer the fortifications to the city of Naarden, they were preserved. In 1961, the material management was largely done by the Government Buildings Agency.
Since 2016, the fortifications have been in the hands of Monumentenbezit. We immediately carried out much-needed restoration work. For example, from 2016 to 2018, the bridge keeper's house from 1898 was restored. Also, in 2017, the former officers' canteen on Promersplein was restored and repurposed as a cultural centre with small-scale supporting catering.
In 2018, Monumentenbezit, in collaboration with Josefien & Co, conducted research into the original colour of the exterior doors and shutters . In the same year, guardhouses P' and Q' on ravelin 6 were repurposed. Another large-scale project was the renovation of the Yellow Warehouse in 2021. The warehouse was renovated, made more sustainable and repurposed as a visitor centre.
Last year, in 2023m, we produced a reconstruction of a lost ornament on top of the Utrechtse Poort. And in that same year, we started the repurposing of Building G, part of Bastion Oranje. In addition to these activities, Monumentenbezit is involved in green management and maintenance of all fortifications throughout the year.