Defence Line of Amsterdam-Fort Hinderdam

The UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defence Line of Amsterdam (in Dutch named Stelling van Amsterdam) is a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam, consisting of 42 forts located between 10 to 15 kilometers the centre, and lowlands that can easily be flooded in time of war. The flooding was designed to give a depth of about 30 cm, insufficient for boats to traverse. Any buildings within 1 km of the line had to be made of wood, so that they could be burnt and the obstruction removed.

The Stelling van Amsterdam was constructed between 1880 and 1920. The invention of the aeroplane and tank made the forts obsolete almost as soon as they were finished. Many of the forts now are under the control of the town councils and the nature department, and may be visited. Monuments Day, on the second Saturday in September, is the ideal day to visit as entrance is free.

Today the grounds of the Fort near Hinderdam are hardly recognizable as such, because the island is fully overgrown. Natuurmonumenten (a society for the preservation of nature monuments in the Netherlands) consciously allows nature to erase the traces of the military past. Because of its island position, Hinderdam is still very isolated. On the island you can find a shellproof guardhouse from the year 1848 and a storage depot with gunpowder cellar and missile filling station dating back to 1880.

The function of the Fort near Hinderdam was to defend the accesses that were formed by the K.J. Toonekade (a quay, now named Dammerkade) and both banks of the river Vecht. Originally, the Fort near Hinderdam was part of the Dutch Waterline. In 1913, it was incorporated into the Defence Line. Between 1934 and 1939, a machine gun casemate and three concrete group shelters were added to the structure.

The Fort near Hinderdam is open occasionally during Stellingmaand (Defence Line Month).

More information is available here.