Aardwerk, Fort Ronduit

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

NEW HOLLANDIC WATERLINE

Introduction

FORT LAYOUT AND EARTHWORKS WITH MAIN RAMPART, CONTAINING (REMAINS OF) GUN EMPLACEMENTS, WET DITCH WITH OUTER SLOPES, WITH (DIVERSION AND MAINTENANCE) ROADS AND WITH A ZONE ORIGINALLY MARKED BY BOUNDARY STONES of Fort Ronduit as a solid and substantial principal component of the fortification. Fort Ronduit is located in the northern part of the New Hollandic Waterline, between the Fortress Naarden and the former Zuiderzee, now IJsselmeer. The fort is physically connected to the Fortress Naarden by means of a defensive rampart on the south side. Fort Ronduit served to defend the areas outside the dikes on the north side of the fortress, the sea dike and the Naarder Trekvaart. Naarden was of very great military-strategic importance as a defence of the direct access to Amsterdam. The fort was to prevent the Fortress Naarden from being bypassed on the north side. Forts were usually constructed on the basis of pre-formed earthworks which served as a foundation and were meant to prevent subsidence in wet and soft soil. In the construction of the forts, besides this usually already tactically 'pre-shaped' earthwork - which in itself could already play a defensive role - a specific layout was also realised which was intended to increase defensive strength, ensure the safety of the garrison and facilitate internal and external transport and traffic. Thus, among other things, wet (and sometimes dry) fort ditches, earth coverings for various structures to make them less vulnerable to enemy fire, earth ramparts that covered the buildings and open areas and determined the contours, and also (paved) paths and parade grounds were created. Along the outside of the ditches there was often a road or path, possibly in the form of a covered way, but also situated at or even above ground level. These roads or paths could have various functions, ranging from public road to maintenance path, and also from military covered way to exclusive access way to the fort. Outside the wet ditch there is moreover often a zone (historically and still partly) marked with boundary stones as such, over which the Ministry of War had jurisdiction, the so-called Military State Land. Fort Ronduit does not principally deviate from this general pattern; however, the earth defensive rampart flanked by a ditch which connects to the covered communal way of the Fortress Naarden is rare. The rampart served among other things to defend the access road on the west side of Fort Ronduit. The layout of Fort Ronduit is still largely intact and consists of earthworks from the period 1873-1876 and some paving from the 1920s.

Description

FORT LAYOUT AND EARTHWORKS WITH MAIN RAMPART, CONTAINING (REMAINS OF) GUN EMPLACEMENTS, WET DITCH WITH OUTER SLOPES, WITH (DIVERSION AND MAINTENANCE) ROADS AND WITH A ZONE ORIGINALLY MARKED BY BOUNDARY STONES of Fort Ronduit as a solid and substantial principal component of this fortification located near the Fortress Naarden. The layout of the fort from 1873 consists of an earthwork surrounded by a ditch, along which pollard willows are planted, which belong to the characteristic camouflaging vegetation. The fort has an earth breastwork all around with a rampart walk behind it. The gun emplacements with traverses on the east side (front side) of the fort are still largely recognisable. In front of the barracks building S and at the guardhouse building T there is brick paving, as well as on the steep slopes leading to a quay wall at the south-western ditch. This paving dates from the 1920s and the quay wall from 1876. The layout of the fort also includes the defensive rampart flanked by ditches on the east and west sides, which conceals the covered way to the west of this towards the Fortress Naarden from enemy sight and fire. The defensive rampart has a broad breastwork on the east side; the gun emplacements that originally lay behind it have disappeared. The rampart is separated from the fort ditch on the north side. The contour of the fort has an indentation on the south-west side and a protrusion on the south-east side (front side) for the safety of personnel crossing from the rampart to the fort. The boundary of the layout coincides with that of the area (formerly) marked with boundary stones. This zone originally marked with boundary stones as such, over which the Ministry of War had jurisdiction, is indicated on the map attached to this document.

Valuation

FORT LAYOUT AND EARTHWORKS WITH MAIN RAMPART, CONTAINING (REMAINS OF) GUN EMPLACEMENTS, WET DITCH WITH OUTER SLOPES, WITH (DIVERSION AND MAINTENANCE) ROADS AND WITH A ZONE ORIGINALLY MARKED BY BOUNDARY STONES of Fort Ronduit is of general interest by reason of:

* Cultural-historical values as part of the New Hollandic Waterline as designed by C.R.T. Kraijenhoff and first constructed from 1815 by him, Jan Blanken and major-engineer Willem Offerhaus and subsequently strengthened and improved by others over approximately 125 years.

* Architectural-historical values in particular as an expression of military-strategic construction, which is based on: a. the system of inundation and access defence (19th century), b. the race with strengthening offensive means (19th century).

The component is an example of an earth layout from 1873-1878 with ditch (fort and connecting rampart), of which also part of the later paving remains.

* Ensemble and situational values as part of the New Hollandic Waterline. Also by reason of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex and in particular with the Fortress Naarden.

* The component is on the one hand representative as a recognisable fort and it is relatively rare by reason of the well-preserved layout (earthworks, paving) and especially the ditched defensive rampart for the covered way to the Fortress Naarden.

* The component is well preserved because the earthworks, paving and rampart from the time of the original construction are still present or very recognisable.