Forteiland IJmuiden

IJmuiden is a port town on the North Sea coast of North Holland, at the mouth of the North Sea Canal, which carries ships from the open sea to Amsterdam. The canal was dug in the 1870s, because the old route through the Zuiderzee had become too shallow for modern ships, and the new harbour entrance at IJmuiden became the gateway to the capital. A gateway needs a guard, and the Forteiland, the Fort Island, was built to protect it. It is an artificial island, laid out in the late nineteenth century at the entrance to the harbour, with a ring of defences designed to prevent an enemy fleet from entering the canal and threatening Amsterdam.

The island belongs to a much larger system, the Defence Line of Amsterdam, a ring of forts, dykes, sluices and flooded land that surrounded the capital at a distance of some fifteen to twenty kilometres. The Defence Line was built between the 1880s and the First World War as a last line of defence for the core of the country, and it relied on the ability to flood the surrounding land in order to keep attackers at a distance. It never had to be used in the way it was intended, because military technology, in particular aircraft and long-range guns, made it outdated soon after completion. In 1996 it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site, as an outstanding example of a defensive system based on controlled flooding, and the Forteiland is one of its coastal parts.

The fortifications are partly sunk into the ground, with semi-underground casemates, ammunition stores, passages and gun emplacements under thick layers of earth and concrete. This kind of construction kept the fort low against the horizon and protected it from artillery fire. The island was also used in the Second World War, when the German occupiers took over the defences of the harbour mouth and added bunkers and other structures to the existing works, so that the site holds traces of two different eras of coastal defence. The mixture gives visitors an unusual chance to compare military architecture from the 1880s and the 1940s.

The island is now open to the public in a limited way, with guided tours that explain the history of the fort, the lives of the soldiers who served there and the design of the defences. The tours take visitors through tunnels and rooms that are normally closed, and the guides tell stories about the garrison. Access is by arrangement, and times vary, so check before planning a visit and book in advance.

IJmuiden itself has the large sea locks, beaches, piers and a fishing harbour. The island suits history enthusiasts, families with older children and anyone interested in military engineering. A tour takes about two hours. Wear sturdy shoes, since the underground passages are damp, and bring a jacket.