Fort, vesting en -onderdelen, Werken aan de Karnemelksloot Naarden (Gooise meren 27)

English translation

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Description

Cluster 9. Drinking water reservoirs.

NEW HOLLANDSE WATERLINIE

Introduction

TWO DRINKING WATER RESERVOIRS as relatively rare functional components of the Works at the Karnemelksloot to the southwest of Naarden.

Naarden lies on the high ground between the Naardermeer and the Zuiderzee, which provided access to Amsterdam and was one of the most important fortified towns of the Old Hollandse Waterlinie. The waterlinie was primarily based on inundation of low-lying ground to prevent the enemy from passing through. However, Naarden lay on the high slopes of the Gooi, which complicated the inundations. It was decided to excavate the high ground. The Works at the Karnemelksloot are part of attempts to hold water around the fortification of Naarden. In 1787 a dam lock was constructed in the Karnemelksloot, which was to retain the inundation water. To protect the dam lock, two small, moated earthen lunettes were also built in 1787 on either side of the Karnemelksloot. Besides defending the lock, they also served to prevent the enemy from passing Naarden on the south side. These lunettes were partly demolished during the French Period but were enlarged and provided with buildings during the time of the New Hollandse Waterlinie around 1873-1875. The fort keeper's house Naardermeer 7 must also date from this period. The fortifications of the New Hollandse Waterlinie soon proved outdated. As a result of improvements to artillery, effective targets could be reached from increasingly greater distances. Therefore, during the mobilisation periods of 1914-1919 and 1939-1940, extra defensive works were constructed in front of the actual works and executed in the form of group nests, group shelters, gun casemates and barricades. On the east and south sides of Naarden, a defensive line of several kilometres in length was established during the mobilisation period 1914-1918. At the Karnemelksloot, barbed wire barricades and shelters were constructed. Between the works and the fortification, new batteries and infantry trenches and provisions were realised, including concrete drinking water reservoirs. Pumps (no longer present) could be connected to the reservoirs, with which a total supply of 10,000 litres of water could be pumped up.

Description

TWO DRINKING WATER RESERVOIRS from 1914-1918, when the Karnemelksloot was part of the main defensive line of the works outside the fortification of Naarden. The closely situated reservoirs (2.70 x 2.20 x 1.00 m; l x w x h) are made of reinforced concrete (thickness 0.10 m) and are fairly rare examples of such a provision from that period. The reservoirs are situated underground in the slope of the dyke along the Naardermeer, several hundred metres north of the dam lock, and were intended to store pumped water for the troops stationed in the field. Above the dyke, parts of the concrete structures with two square openings (manhole covers) are visible, from which water could be drawn and which served for inspection and cleaning. Pumps could be connected to the reservoirs, but these are no longer present.

Valuation

The TWO DRINKING WATER RESERVOIRS from 1914-1918 are of general importance because of:

* Cultural-historical values as components of the New Hollandse Waterlinie as designed by C.R.T. Kraijenhoff and initially from 1815 realised by him, Jan Blanken and major-engineer Willem Offerhaus and subsequently strengthened and improved by others for approximately 125 years.

* Architectural-historical values in particular as an expression of military-strategic building practice, which is based on: a. the system of inundation and access defence (19th and 20th centuries), b. the race with increasingly powerful offensive means (20th century) c. the system of 'active' field fortification in depth (20th century)

The components are examples of concrete drinking water reservoirs from the period 1914-1918.

* Ensemble value and situational values as components of the New Hollandse Waterlinie. Also because of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex and as a reminder of field fortifications that are no longer or scarcely recognisable in the terrain.

* The components are rare because few such large drinking water reservoirs remain as part of the now largely disappeared field fortifications from the mobilisation period 1914-1919. At the fortification of Naarden, some smaller-type reservoirs are still known.

* The component is reasonably well preserved because the reservoirs are still present underground and are recognisable as such on the top side.