Fort Pannerden

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

Casemates / Escarp gallery / Caponnières and connecting passages / Poternes.

NEW HOLLANDIC WATERLINE

Introduction

The CASEMATES / ESCARP GALLERY, CAPONNIÈRES AND CONNECTING PASSAGES / POTERNES of Fort Pannerden are arranged in a connected form around the fort building in essentially a pentagonal pattern, or form connections with it. One corner (north) of the pentagon is right-angled, two others are somewhat obtuse and two are (very) obtuse. The two southwestern facades—on either side of a very obtuse corner—form a slightly curved pattern. The right-angled corner is accompanied by two caponnières set at right angles to each other. Three other caponnières are located at three of the four remaining corners; at the very obtuse corner between the slightly curved facades no caponnière was built. The two caponnières at the adjacent facade ends do not have sight of each other and thus do not cover each other. The long facades of the connected casemates show between five projecting facade sections characteristics of curtains. The curtains and caponnières constructed of fine masonry rise approximately five meters from the dry ditch and are fitted approximately halfway with dozens of partly coupled, arched loopholes of varying size. These were intended for rifle fire in close defence. There were also firing openings for mortar guns, but these were later—with one exception—sealed with brick concrete. However, they are still clearly recognisable in the gable tops as 'insets'. To a limited extent, remains of provisions (water drainage etc.) are recognisable. In the northeastern facade is a slightly sunken, segmental arch-shaped entrance gate, flanked by additional loopholes. There is an inconspicuous second entrance / exit in the facade on the Waal side, approximately beneath the Waal battery. The masonry contains at several places small round openings and ends with a broad roll moulding. In the masonry, traces of Second World War gunfire have been preserved during restoration. On top of the curtains and caponnières lies an earth covering, which continues backward into and on the unbuilt space between the ring of casemates and the fort building. From inside, the connected casemates consist of—considered effectively—a continuously running corridor, with rooms set transversely to it with semicircular closed vaults, each provided with one or more (barred) arched loopholes with natural stone frames. In the caponnières this pattern continues, but in approximately a horseshoe-shaped (semicircular) plan. Below the loopholes in the caponnières lie at various locations (masonry) gun emplacements for positioning gun muzzles for (flanking) gun fire. In the corridors and rooms various iron relics such as hooks and eyes and air vents, as well as painted inscriptions (numbers of the rooms), wooden doors, etc. The continuous system of connected casemates is a rare phenomenon in the Netherlands. The casemates / caponnières are connected to the fort building by means of (earth-covered) masonry CONNECTING PASSAGES / POTERNES. The poternes vary in length (from a few meters to approximately 15 m) and are three to four meters wide. They have a floor profile sloping slightly upward from the casemates toward the fort building. The poternes, executed predominantly in fine masonry, are semicircular closed and possess in the side walls here and there spandrels / niches.

Valuation

The CASEMATES / ESCARP GALLERY, CAPONNIÈRES AND CONNECTING PASSAGES / POTERNES of Fort Pannerden are of general interest by virtue of:

* Cultural-historical values, as part of the New Hollandic Waterline as designed by C.R.T. Kraijenhoff and initially 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 building science, 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 structure from the period ca. 1869-1872 and adapted around 1890, namely a bomb-proof, partly earth-covered and surrounded by a dry ditch and counterscarp / outer wall and -rampart, continuous system of connected casemates and covered passages.

* 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 of fields of fire. This system was supplemented with various, dating from different periods, constructed or established (defence) works which served to or contributed to closure and defence of non-inundatable terrains or other accesses.

* Ensemble value and situational values, by virtue of the functional and physical coherence with the remaining components of the complex and in particular with the fort building connected to it at several locations underground.

* The structure is representative (characteristic) because it still displays the physical characteristics that originally occasioned its construction and it is rare or even unique in regard to execution by virtue of the application of the closed form with provisions for close defence and mortars. The arrangement of the defence system on the basis of a continuous system of casemates is rare in the Netherlands.

* The structure is well-preserved because in respect to structure and physical appearance the main matters and important parts of the detailing from the state in the 1890s and damage from the years 1940-1945 have been preserved or thanks to the restoration have been consolidated.