Torenfort, Fort Nieuwersluis Nieuwersluis (Stichtse Vecht 26)

English translation

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Description

Cluster 17. Tower, Building A.

NEW HOLLANDSE WATERLINIE

Introduction

TOWER, building A, as part of a fort with earthwork fortifications built around the middle of the 19th century for the defence of the river access of the Vecht and of the railway access of the line Utrecht - Amsterdam. Fort Nieuwersluis in its current form arose from the excavation of the 17th-century fortification works of Nieuwersluis located on the west bank of the Vecht. This occurred in two phases, namely in 1849, when the tower was built and during the large-scale renewal in 1880-1882, whereby the fort acquired its current form. Fort Nieuwersluis served to defend several inundation works and a relatively large number of linear accesses. The fort was, in contrast to most defence works of the Old and New Hollandse Waterlinie, oriented towards an attack from the south. This could take place after the Vecht access had been passed. In 1849-1851 the tower fort was built, even before the fort island acquired its current form. Towers on forts usually have an approximately circular ground plan with a diameter of several tens of metres and are surrounded by a dry or wet ditch. They are two or three storeys high and consist of heavy - metres thick - masonry. The principle was that the round shape was well resistant to cannon fire impacts, while the defensive strength in all directions could be more or less equivalent. By positioning far-reaching artillery on top of the towers - where the lookout was also stationed - one thought to be in a favourable defensive position. For close defence, (numerous) gun ports for rifles served the purpose. The tower on Fort Nieuwersluis was built especially with a view to the defence of the railway line Utrecht-Amsterdam laid out in 1843. However, due to the improvement of the artillery, it soon proved to be a vulnerable object. With the large-scale improvement of the fort in 1880-1882, the tower was covered with earth on the south side, the separate ditch was filled in and the bridge demolished. In 1880-1882 the structure served the function of lodging for troops and officers, kitchen and storage of gunpowder and projectiles. In 2002 repairs took place, whereby among other things a new roof covering was applied. Nowadays bats inhabit the tower. The gun ports have been sealed.

Description

The TOWER, building A, is located on the east side of Fort Nieuwersluis. It is a circular brick structure with a diameter of just over 28 metres and a height of approximately 9 metres (originally this was 10 metres). Of this height, several metres lie below ground level. The walls of the tower are one metre thick and relatively recently largely cemented on the outside, with round holes having been made. The tower is largely covered with earth from the south side and at the top. The entrance, on the unprotected north side of the tower, consists of an arched double door flanked by windows. Above the door is the date 1850 in a keystone. The interior consists of a core ring, within which the central pillar with drip pipe for the collection of rainwater is placed. The core ring is divided into two spaces and is surrounded by a cavity. Around the core ring there are still two rings. In each of these rings a number of smaller, vaulted rooms have been separated off. The spaces in the outer ring were fitted out as casemates and each had three gun ports. These are now sealed.

Valuation

The TOWER, Building A, of Fort Nieuwersluis is of general importance because of:

* Cultural-historical values as part of the New Hollandse Waterlinie as designed by C.R.T. Kraijenhoff and initially realised 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 building craft, which is based on:

a. the system of inundation and access defence (19th century),

b. the race with increasingly powerful offensive means (19th century).

This concerns a component from approximately 1850, namely an example of a tower on a fort at a number of accesses, namely a river access with the bank accesses and a railway access.

* Ensemble value and situational values as part of the New Hollandse Waterlinie. Also because of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex.

* The component is relatively rare because it is one of the few existing towers in the Netherlands and it is representative of the development of this fort type because for military-strategic reasons around 1880 it was provided with protective earth covering, while simultaneously reducing the height.

* The component is reasonably well preserved because numerous characteristic features in exterior and interior, despite partial sealing, have remained or are still recognisable.