Militair verblijfsgebouw, de Zilveren Schaats e.o. Utrecht

English translation

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Description

Cluster 301. Guard house.

NEW HOLLAND WATER LINE

Introduction

GUARD HOUSE ON THE REDOUBT OF FORT VOSSEGAT, as a built relic of the former, medium-sized Fort Vossegat, which dated from the years 1817-1819. The current guard house of the redoubt was built in the period 1849-1851. The fort was as such the successor of a battery from the late 18th century. The fort was located east of Utrecht on the northern bank of a meander of the Kromme Rijn and served to close off and defend this river access and the road Utrecht - Bunnik, a nearby inundation sluice and later also the through-passage sluice - the Bridge with the twelve holes. The fort consisted mainly of the still existing bomb-proof guard house on a redoubt that was independently surrounded by a moat and of essentially triangular earthwork with at each corner a sharply pointed bastion. The earthwork too was surrounded by a moat, in which ravelines and a covered way. The ground plan of the redoubt had a very blunt angle on the front side (east side). The bomb-proof guard house built upon it was rectangular in form and was provided with an earth covering. Little of this arrangement is recognizable as present. After the construction of the advanced forts Rijnauwen and Vechten, Fort Vossegat was simplified and converted from a 'complete', closed fort to an open work at the gorge side (west). West next to the fort subsequently came into being in the years 1910-1913 the Kromhout barracks, named after J.H. Kromhout (1835-1897), lieutenant-general and inspector of engineers. In more recent times the fort terrain has been incorporated into a newly established Kromhout barracks, which came into use in or around 2012. The layout and the earthworks of the fort have been virtually entirely dismantled over the course of decades. A number of VIS casemates built in the earthworks in the 1930s was likewise demolished in the 1950s. But a few other built components remained. The largest of these is the redoubt / guard house. The moat around the redoubt has been filled in, but in part a dry ditch has been created, over which an 'access bridge' has been laid. On the roof there is a man-high balustrade in weathering steel all around from recent times, which functions as a reminiscence of a previously present breastwork behind which troops and guns could take cover; there is now a roof terrace, belonging to the new function of the building as a recreation space.

Fort Vossegat was built east of Utrecht. Together with the forts (located from north to south) De Gagel (1819-1821), Blauwkapel (1817-1818), Op de Biltstraat (De Bilt; 1816-1819) and the Vier Lunetten (1819-1826) the fort was part of the line of fortifications from the first construction period of the New Holland Water Line near the vulnerable accesses around Utrecht. These works served to close off and defend as much as possible the numerous roads and embankments that ran along the north-east side of Utrecht through the inundation zone, and, if these were at the same time return embankments, to prevent their being crossed. The forts were therefore laid across the roads and dykes. In the third construction period of the New Holland Water Line (1867-c. 1872) a second, advanced fort ring was laid out, since the older ring of forts that protected Utrecht was too close to the city relative to the possible positions of enemy artillery. Fort Vossegat was in that period, by means of so-called covered communication ways - which on the enemy side were provided with ramparts and a moat - connected with the nearby forts Blauwkapel, De Bilt and the Lunetten. This made it possible to transport troops and supplies between the forts. The forts could support each other mutually through flanking fire. In the 1930s a number of VIS casemates were still built in the fort ramparts, but these have all disappeared. Aerial photographs from around 1940 show a fort terrain built in various places, which still shows the former outlines. After the Second World War increasingly more old components of the former fort were cleared away.

Description

GUARD HOUSE ON THE REDOUBT OF FORT VOSSEGAT consisting of a (on the former redoubt), in fair-faced brickwork constructed, rectangular, one above-ground storey comprising, cellaried building. On the roof from old a covering of earth. In the west-facing (fore)facade an arched entrance with likewise double wooden doors, in which a half-door. Further in all facades various, whether or not under a relieving arch placed, coupled wall openings. Most of these are - presumably cement-accentuated - arched gunports, provided with iron bars. In the interior among others barrel-vaulted spaces and furthermore a stairwell recognizable through two wall openings in the west facade (to the left of the entrance) that forms an ascent to the roof.

Valuation

The GUARD HOUSE ON THE REDOUBT OF FORT VOSSEGAT is of general interest by virtue of:

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

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

This concerns here a component from around 1850 - as an example of an earth-covered, brick, bomb-proof structure.

* Ensemble value and situational values as part of the New Holland Water Line. Also by virtue of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex and in particular with the Bridge with the 12 holes.

* The component is representative (characteristic) because it in appearance shows the characteristics that emphasize the then defensive purpose.

* The component is rather well preserved because the structure, after restoration, is in virtually the condition in which it was around 1850 and because it still has various authentic components and details.