Stelling, Op het Fort bij de Buursteeg Renswoude

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction:

The Grebbelinie is a water line approximately 60 kilometres in length, which makes use of the wet conditions in the western, lowest-lying part of the Gelderse Vallei. It is a unique example of a water line built in the eighteenth century. Because no major interventions in the structure of the line have taken place since then, the greater part of the line wall, the closing dikes and the earthen defensive works have been preserved. The Grebbelinie comprises dikes, earthen forts, sluices, casemates, outposts, anti-tank ditches, inundation areas, trenches, bunkers etc. Because it was always assumed that the line would be defended by a temporary field army, no permanent quarters for military personnel were built in the Grebbelinie.

The line was directed against a possible advancing enemy from the east. By inundating land, enemy troops could be halted. The Grebbelinie had to ensure that this happened in a controlled manner. The water in the inundated area had to be deep enough to prevent enemy vehicles and artillery from passing, but not so deep that the enemy could approach the line with vessels. At those places that were too high to be inundated, defensive works were constructed. When laying out the inundation areas, use was made of the lower-lying fields. To flood the area as efficiently as possible, the line was divided from south to north into 11 basins. The water in each basin was held back by means of a closing dike which lay across the line dike.

After fortifications had been laid out sporadically in this area from the end of the 16th century, in 1744 on the recommendation of the then Director-General of Fortifications B.J. de Roy, work began on the earthen wall which would later become the Grebbelinie dike. The wall had to hold back the water, so that the Gelderse side of the dike could be inundated. Furthermore, the plan provided, because of the difference in height between the Nederrijn and the Zuiderzee, for the construction of closing dikes or cross dikes that could hold back the water. In this way a series of water-filled basins was created, which descended like a series of steps progressively towards the north. In total, eight closing dikes were built to enable the area to be flooded in a controlled manner. In 1786 further fortifications were built.

The first time the line was put on alert was in 1793 when France declared war on the Netherlands. However, the water level in the Rhine at that time was too low to flood the line. Because the advance was not continued, the French did not reach the line at that time. However, when the French under General Pichegru returned at the end of 1794, the line could be flooded. But a severe frost period in early 1795 meant that French armies could cross the frozen rivers and inundations without problems.

Ultimately, in 1799 the French gave the line its final form. They paid much attention to improving the defence of the closing dikes and laid out earthen outposts there. Because Napoleon wrongly believed in 1809 that there was no danger from the east, the Grebbelinie was abandoned as a defensive work.

Not until 1846 did people begin to realise the importance of the Grebbelinie for national defence again. To protect the railway line Utrecht - Arnhem, this was laid through the existing fort at the Buursteeg. In 1860 it was determined that the Grebbelinie should be one of the most important defensive lines of our country. Following this, new dam sluices were installed in the main closing dikes, so that the area in front of the line could be flooded more quickly. In 1866 the Omleidingskanaal to the east of Veenendaal was dug, which made it possible to reduce the inundation time from 20 to 12 days. Nevertheless, the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie became the most important defensive line, because inundations there could be established more quickly and easily. According to measurements, at the Grebbelinie the water in the Rhine was high enough only a small part of the year to realise the underwater settings. Moreover, it still took too long before the water in the first basin was high enough to allow it to flow through to the other basins.

Only during the mobilisation of 1939-1940 did the Grebbelinie, under the name Valleilinie, become the main defensive line of our country. Because shortly before this the Valleikanaal had been dug to improve drainage in the Gelderse Vallei, a continuous canal had now been created between the Nederrijn and the IJsselmeer, which could also serve as an anti-tank ditch and also offered better possibilities for flooding the area.

Large areas on the east side were now flooded and farmhouses that were in the field of fire were demolished. Around Veenendaal extensive trenches and anti-tank ditches were dug and 271 concrete machine-gun casemates were built. In March 1940 the main defence of the east front of the Vesting Holland was moved from the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie to the Grebbelinie. This led to the construction of even more trenches, anti-tank ditches and wire obstacles, particularly in the non-inundatable areas between Woudenberg - Renswoude and Veenendaal. On 10 May German troops invaded our country. Although the battle at the Grebbeberg became the most famous, heavy fighting took place at other places on the line as well. The Germans eventually made the final modification to the line in 1944. The line was now given the name Pantherstellung. The aim of the line was to halt an enemy advancing towards Germany and the main direction of fire was this time towards the west and south. More than 20 gun casemates were built, of which 12 have now been preserved. In 1951 the Grebbelinie was permanently abandoned as a defensive line.

The part of the Fort at the Buursteeg in the municipality of Veenendaal is located to the south of the Buursteeg and since 1844 alongside the railway line Utrecht-Arnhem, the east side of the Grebbeberg and the Grift. The work was laid out with the aim of being able to defend access to the Slaperdijk and the Emmikhuizerberg. In 1844 the railway line was laid through the fort, with which the fort was also tasked with protecting the railway line.

Description:

Earthern DEFENSIVE WORK built in 1786, located to the south of the railway line Utrecht-Arnhem. The ground plan of the fort is a symmetrical bastioned earthen work with two recessed flanks and behind them on both sides a redoubt, surrounded by main and subsidiary ditches. The fort has a maximum area of 500 by 300 metres including ditches and is thus the largest preserved fort of the Grebbelinie. On the fort there is a boundary stone with the inscription 036.

Of the fortifications added in 1939-1940, there remains on the southern part a machine-gun casemate type S3 and the Germans also built a gun casemate here in 1944. After the war an attempt was made in vain to blow this up.

Valuation

The construction is of general importance because of:

Cultural-historical values as part of the Grebbelinie, as this was built in six phases over a period of 200 years. Of great importance because of its commemorative value because of its role during the fighting in 1939-1940.

Architectural-historical values in particular as an expression of military-strategic building, which is based on:

a. the system of inundation and access defence (18th, 19th and 20th centuries), b. the system of 'living' field fortification in depth (20th century) c. the outpost function during the mobilisation and military operations 1939 - 1940

This is a complex that in its original design is an example of defensive works from the period:

phase 2: 1785 -'86, fortification

Archaeological values because of the expected traces in the soil of trenches, anti-tank ditches and the like.

Ensemble value because of its location within the system of the Grebbelinie in general. Also because of the functional and physical coherence of the components of the complex. Finally, there is here a preserved/reasonably preserved relationship with the field of fire and inundation field

The complex is rare because it is still a largely existing example of an 18th century defensive work in the Grebbelinie and as such is representative (characteristic) of this type of defensive works.

With names in the part of the complex to the south of the railway line, virtually all component parts are present in a more or less recognisable form and function.