Fort Pannerden

English translation

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Description

Bombproof fort building with earth covering.

NEW HOLLANDSE WATERLINIE

Introduction

BOMBPROOF FORT BUILDING WITH EARTH COVERING as a vital component of Fort Pannerden. Built essentially on a rectangular but strongly asymmetrical ground plan, a fort building that is also positioned asymmetrically within the overall pentagon of passages with casemates. There are four (short) earth-covered passages (poternes) that serve as connections from this ring of passages with casemates. The fort building came into being from 1869 in two phases and consists of a ground floor, an intermediate storey and an upper storey, coupled to which are three concrete batteries. During the first phase of construction, it was already decided to replace the so-called Haxo batteries with arched brickwork and only partially earth-covered batteries/casemates by entirely enclosed, masonry batteries. (Haxo batteries are named after the French general F.N.B. Haxo (1774-1838)). The first construction phase was completed in 1872. As a result of the advent of rifled artillery and especially of the explosive shell, after 1885 it was decided to replace these batteries in turn with even heavier ones - executed in steel plate and concrete. These new batteries - the Rivierkasemat, the Rijkasemat and the Waalkasemat - still exist and are clearly recognisable from outside. Later they were modernised, among other things by the installation of rangefinders. Furthermore, at the end of that phase (circa 1889) the fort was largely covered with brick concrete and subsequently covered over (again) with an earth covering. Of the components on the upper storey - apart from the three casemates mentioned above which are recognisable from a distance - only a few facades and masonry works of emplacements are visible. These facades appear to be the only visible sides of independent earth-covered structures such as those found on most forts. But in reality they are an inseparable part of the bombproof fort building. They are also always accessible from inside, as can be seen from the inscriptions 'stair'. A third construction phase, in which it was intended to adapt the work once more to the demands of the time (circa 1925) and to build five independent, small reinforced concrete casemates of different types on top, did not materialise. The designs were never executed. However, after the Second World War a brick air watch post accessible only from outside was built on the highest part of the earth covering. In our country - apart from Fort Pannerden - only four so-called armoured forts were realised. (the others being: Fort Harssens (near Den Helder), Fort IJmuiden (a fort island), Fort Pampus (a fort island) and Fort Hoek van Holland (also: Maasmond)). These four are all at or in the sea, which underscores the uniqueness of the 'river fort' Pannerden.

Description

BOMBPROOF FORT BUILDING WITH EARTH COVERING, situated within a pentagon of passages with casemates and connected to it by means of four poternes. The fort building, originally executed entirely in brick and with natural stone reinforcements, is built on an essentially rectangular ground plan with the greatest length running from northwest to southeast. The asymmetrical rectangle has a five-bay projection on the southwest side, of which the two outer bays are aligned with / form part of respectively the western and the eastern courtyard. On the northwest side is an even slightly wider projection, adjoining which is a semicircular, masonry stair to the intermediate storey and storey. This stair begins in the adjoining poterne (passage) oriented to the northeast. The poterne forms the (bent) connection with the main entrance to the fort building and the fort.

Two courtyards situated on the ground floor were partly vaulted in the second construction phase and have since been regarded as parallel passages oriented from northeast to southwest. Most rooms on the ground floor are accessible from these passages, but there are also many connections between the rooms themselves. The entrances are mostly provided with wooden doors, above which are arched, slightly wider fanlights with grilles and on either side similarly arched windows with four-pane sashes. The rooms located on the outside (northwest and southeast) of the passages are predominantly closed by means of barrel vaults. The rooms between the passages have (newly inserted during restoration) wooden ceilings that form the floors of an intermediate storey. Most functions have traditionally been housed in the rooms on the ground floor. There are, among other things, still remains and traces of privies, of the kitchen - with water well and hand-operated cast iron pump - of several powder magazines with recognisable safety provisions, such as a double wall / passage, iron hooks and eyes, etc. The intermediate storey was largely intended for quartering troops; this was particularly important in the event of high river water levels, as the accommodation on the ground floor was then poorly usable. The rooms on the intermediate storey are located on either side and without partition along a central passage, which is accessible via the semicircular stone stair. The passage is parallel to both courtyards / passages; the quartering rooms on the intermediate storey open onto these passages by means of paired, semicircularly closed windows with four-pane infill. On the storey there are components of the original layout and of the plan subsequently executed (1869-1872), including the continuation of the semicircular stone stair - a poterne executed with barrel vault, situated precisely above the passage of the intermediate storey. Also a shed adjoining the stair with two adjoining segment-arched niches and some open gun emplacements form part of this construction phase. The facade of this building section, partly executed in brick and partly in concrete, contains three inscriptions in cartouches, namely '1886', 'remise' and 'stair' (left to right). The right-hand part is reinforced by a steel beam construction. Traces and remains are recognisable of parts that have been modified or removed, such as (later set in concrete) masonry. Opposite the building section with shed and stair is the facade of a slightly later added, second shed - its entrance also with a steel beam construction - and slightly to the left of this the facade of a vaulted shelter (the only room accessible only from outside). All building components of the storey are concrete- and earth-covered. Furthermore, the batteries (casemates) created in the second construction phase are situated approximately at storey level. The twice modified plans/layout meant that modifications to the building had to be made. Brick sections were modified or removed and replaced by, or supplemented with, (brick) concrete, steel plate and structural iron. Internally these casemates are connected by a system of passages, part of which was created as part of the modernisation in concrete and part of which could be reused from the earlier phase. The casemates of the River Battery (southeast side) are situated slightly lower than the other two and are connected to the passage via a stair; internally they consist largely of segment-arched masonry. As armour, concrete and steel have been applied to all three casemates; the river battery contains five gun positions/gun ports facing in the same direction; the two others form arch segments, each with three gun positions/gun ports and (remains of) gun supports. Throughout the entire building there are numerous painted inscriptions (room numbers) and many wooden doors, iron hooks, eyes, railings, etc.

Valuation

The BOMBPROOF FORT BUILDING WITH EARTH COVERING of Fort Pannerden is of general importance because of:

* Cultural-historical values, as part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie as designed by C.R.T. Kraijenhoff and initially 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 arms race with strengthening offensive means (19th century, limited 20th century).

This concerns a structure from the period circa 1869-1890, namely a bombproof, largely earth-covered fort building, with three heavy batteries reinforced with concrete and steel.

* Military-historical and system values, as part of an advanced section of the otherwise virtually continuous military defence line between the former Zuiderzee and the Biesbosch. This consisted mainly of a coherent system of inundation fields and associated inundation means and shooting fields. This system was supplemented with various types of structures or installations from different periods that served to or contributed to the closure and defence of terrain that could not be inundated or other accesses.

* Ensemble value and situational values, because of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex.

* The structure is representative (characteristic) because it still displays the physical characteristics that were the reason for construction at that time, and it is rare or even unique in terms of execution because of the stratification, the virtually complete earth covering and the application of armoured casemates/armoured batteries. The latter - the armoured batteries - are unique outside the Dutch coastal zone.

* The structure is well preserved because as far as structure and physical appearance the main points and important parts of the detailing of the condition in the 1890s have been preserved or, thanks to restoration, have been consolidated.