Star Fort in Belgium - Antwerp?

These 'star forts' are remnants of the city walls in our region from the Spanish Period (15th-17th century).

Antwerp also had these, but they were absorbed (or destroyed) by subsequent urban expansion and are therefore no longer clearly visible.
https://www.staatsspaanselinies.eu/en/de-staats-spaanse-linies/list-view/linie:fortified-town-of-antwerp.htm

A more attractive example can be found near Antwerp, in Hulst. Hulst is located in the Netherlands in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, a region that borders Belgium and historically had closer ties with Ghent and Bruges than with The Hague. When Belgium gained independence in 1830, this area however remained Dutch.
http://www.starforts.com/hulst.html
https://www.zeeland.com/nl-nl/visit/235_nl/stadswallen-hulst

Another fine example, very close to the Belgian border but then in France, can be found in Rocroi.
https://www.ardennes.com/en/the-destination/the-must-see-cultural-heritage/rocroi-the-star-city-ardennes-france-heritage-fortifications/

Belgium is renowned for its citadels and forts.
You may find suitable inspiration in Dinant, Namur, or Bouillon

https://www.visitardenne.com/en/best-ardennes/iconic-sites/dinant

https://www.visitardenne.com/en/best-ardennes/iconic-sites/citadel-namur

https://www.visitardenne.com/en/best-ardennes/iconic-sites/bouillon-castle

It's probably a bit out of your way but I can also suggest Bourtange in the Netherlands, bordering on Germany. It's near to Groningen. It has been completely restored and they do regular archaeological digs there. However, people live there, and it's quite hard to find. Don't do as we did and follow the bike signs for it or you will never get there :)

Lavandula

@Lavandula
I hope you found the Bourtange Secreet ;-)

Ha ha, yes, there are German tour buses there but I think in reality the inhabitants don't really want to be found, much like other towns in the Netherlands (I am thinking of Spakenburg, which also has poor signage). Hopefully they just get a peaceful life without people like me gawking at their town : )

Lavandula

There are fortified cities all over the Netherlands. Which one is best or easiest to visit depends on where you’ll stay while here and whether or not you’ll rent a car. Naarden is beautiful, but so are Gorinchem, Bourtange, Elburg etc etc.

@Lavandula; the Bourtange Secreet refers to a specific point of interest within Bourtange, not to Bourtange itself. It’s quite an interesting site :-)

In case you stay in Bruges you can go to Damme. You can like many do rent a bike and cycle along the canal to this lovely place. It’s still fortified, however the fortifications of Sluis just across the Dutch-Belgian border are much better preserved. Comparable with those of Hulst Windyram talks about. You can also bike further to Retranchement, still fortified too.

These fortified cities were once part of the Spanish State Defense Lines in mainly the most southwestern part of the Netherlands. The military front between Spain and the Dutch Republic (in the making) during the Eighty Year War (1568 - 1648). These defense lines stretched south of the Western Scheldt estuary all the way from Antwerp to the coast near Knokke. Consisting of several hundreds of all kinds of little and larger strongholds, connected with dikes used as defense and communication lines it must have been a mind boggling massive, expensive project.

It shows the strategic significance of this area regarding the ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges too. Not only then, but also during the Napoleon era and certainly WW2. Much has lost, but still there are remains to find spread around the area.

https://www.zeeuwseankers.nl/en/stories/the-spanish-state-defense-lines
For more info you can use Windyram's first link too.

In that case I probably did not find the Bourtange Secreet. Is that the toilets for the soldiers? I had to google it in Dutch and even then it is not clear.

At the time I was travelling with my family and my daughter was a toddler and not very tolerant of tourism. She is in her last year of school now and nowadays makes a better travel partner than she did then ; ).

I am still amazed that we found it, but I think the location is enough that it scares most tourists off!!

Lavandula

Antwerp: I think Fort 5 Mortsel (name of the neighborhood) used to be open for a few hours on Sunday in summer. I would not be surprised to learn that it's no longer available,

lavandula - That little red box above the moat was to hide their secret weapon. :-)

@Tim
You are talking about the Brialmont forts around Antwerp: forts that were built in 1860-1864 from brick and sandstone. Seven of them survived (of the eight in total).

The fort in Mortsel is Fort 4. Fort 5 being the one in Edegem ;-) ... Fort 8 in Hoboken being in its most original state.

Antwerp was suggested in Wikipedia, but I couldn't find any that still have fortifications or are a tourist site.

I assume Wikipedia is referring to the two forts build in 1580 in the battle against the Spanish (both can be visited):

• Fort Lillo https://www.fortengordels.be/forten/fort-van-lillo
  https://maps.app.goo.gl/m9LDqVPZUTaULttC6

• Fort Liefkenshoek https://www.fortengordels.be/forten/fort-liefkenshoek
  https://maps.app.goo.gl/cQ3kWs35zMp9VMDG9

Thank you, everyone. Yes, Fort Lillo was the type of fort that I had in mind. Fort 5 Edegem does appear to be open in the park. And I think my husband showed me pictures of the Bourtange Secreet, but I don't think we'll get out that far. It has been fun looking at all of these and seeing how many forts surrounded Antwerp.

To reach Fort Lillo, as well as Fort Liefkenshoek, which is located directly opposite on the other bank of the Scheldt, simply take the waterbus from the city centre. It is a very pleasant ride across the water.
https://dewaterbus.be/en/pages/route

there was talk upthread about Bruges. If you get around there then Lille in France is very close and has a large one in decent nick.

This map from 1815 shows both Antwerp (together with Fort Lillo and Fort Liefkenshoek) and Hulst. Panning westwards you see that many villages and cities near the Western Scheldt estuary were still fortified with little fortifications in between. You can find much more across the Netherlands, most of the time near rivers and the sea.

https://www.topotijdreis.nl/kaart/1815/@73979,362811,7.33

Scrolling down the time table at the leftside of your screen you can see the fortifications of later periods like the Brialmont forts.

https://www.topotijdreis.nl/kaart/1880/@85773,357303,8.11

The fort in Lille, one of the many by Vauban, however later during the reign of Louis XIV. Still many of his fortifications to find along the French border and even some in Belgium.

@Wil
Thanks for this link to the 'topotijdreis' maps. I didn't know that they could be consulted in such an easily way. What a wonderful discovery!

RE: the above mentioned Rocroi.

One of the decisive battlefield victories in French modern military history. When one goes to the Chateau de Versailles and visits the "Battle Gallerie, " you can see this dramatic victory depicted among the military victories of France. I saw this first in 1973.

Glad to hear you like it Windyram.

I came upon this link completely coincidentally this evening:

https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/2013964/antwerp-reckons-again-with-its-hated-spanish-fortress

There is an exhibition at KMSKA, hopefully you can get there at the right time!

Lavandula

Thank you for this interesting article lavandula. Till this I had the idea only Ghent had a Spanish Castle, with the same aim to keep the locals under the Spanish thumb. Knowing this now and knowing what was going on at the time, Antwerp having something similar is actually not so surpring. Seems that the one in Ghent was the first having bastions in the region. So a star fort OP talks about. It doesn’t exist (like the one in Antwerp) anymore, however remains are found recently.

What interests me most are the stories around it. A lot happened in Europe at the time. The rise of Protestantism, the great voyages of discovery, Renaissance, the early days of Enlightenment. The rise of citizenry and so it’s increasing influence undermining the dominant position of royalty / nobility and the Roman Catholic Church. A sign Europe was chaging profoundly. It all came together in this corner of Europe at the time. With a pivital role for Antwerp, the undisputed metropole of Northern Europe of the 16th century. Forget London or Paris, this city was the cultural and economic powerhouse of this era.

Spanish King Philips II did everything to keep the Low Countries under his thumb, resulting unavoidably in a confrontation. A struggle for independence, better known here as the Eighty Years’ War (1568 – 1648). Cutting Antwerp off from the Western Scheldt estuary and so the North Sea was part of the strategy. Having control over the estuary was essential to paralyse trade, hence the numerous fortifications.

This is such an interesting thread - thank you to PlannerMom. I will keep a copy of it for 'someday' when I can do this journey too!

PlannerMom, please come back and do a trip report!

Lavandula

lavandula - This Wikipedia article makes clear what happened with Antwerp, it’s Fall and the far stretching consequences it had for “de Zuidelijke Nederlanden”, the southern part of the Low Countries (nowadays the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and a bit of Northern France too) in the first place. Not only Antwerp was cut off, that was also the case for Ghent and Bruges. With Zeelandic Flanders (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen) the Dutch Republic had a buffer zone and so complete control over the Western Scheldt estuary. Still the case until today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Antwerp

Wil, thanks for posting this link. The Finis Belli! The ship to end all wars. How come this sort of thing is never discussed in history classes? I would love to know what happened to it.

An interesting history with names that stand out like Don Juan - was it that Don Juan?

Lavandula

An interesting history with names that stand out like Don Juan - was it that Don Juan?

I assume yours 'that Don Juan' is the legendary ladies' man, a fictional character from Tirso de Molina’s play El burlador de Sevilla (1630). However, the character became so popular and well-known that other writers also wrote about him.

Don Juan of Austria, governor of the Spanish Netherlands was a real person. He was the illegitimate son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He was a military leader in the service of his half-brother, King Philip II of Spain, Charles V's heir.

The Finis Belli! ... I would love to know what happened to it.

Engineers Hendrick and Antheunis are fitting out a large ship with 24 guns. It can carry 500 musketeers on board. However, upon launching, the vessel proves to have all manner of defects. It has a greater draught than expected and is virtually ungovernable. It takes six months of work before the Fin de la Guerre is deployed on a trial basis near Oorderen. The ship threatens to capsize and runs aground. On 26 April, it is captured by Farnese. He has it immediately scrapped.

Thanks Windyram!

Lavandula