Fort Bourtange remains perfectly preserved, with historic structures strewn across the 11-acre pentagon.


Star forts, five-sided forts designed to give guards a panoramic view of any potential attackers, originated in Italy in the 15th century. Providing the optimal structure for protection from threats, star forts were used in Italian warfare for years and eventually diffused to the Groningen region of the Netherlands, where the Bourtange star fort was constructed in 1593.


Tagsmilitaryhistorical, landscape.