Bourtange Star Fort and Village Open Air Museum

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Westerwolde Region, Bourtange, Netherlands

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Bourtange Photo - Bourtange Star Fort and Village Open Air Museum, Bourtange, Groningen

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Bourtange fortifications

by jipp05

CA1 1LA, England, United Kingdom

April 27, 2011

Best of IgoUgo The Bourtange fortifications were absolutely fascinating to see up close. I had seen pictures taken from the air and the fortifications around the village are star shaped which is pretty unique and quite spectacular but up close it was difficult to ...Read more The Bourtange fortifications were absolutely fascinating to see up close. I had seen pictures taken from the air and the fortifications around the village are star shaped which is pretty unique and quite spectacular but up close it was difficult to make out the star shape of the defensive walls and built up mud defences. This didn't make it any less impressive however and walking around the defences was an enjoyable walk back into history.

The defences start before you actually each the village but instead of looking military they just look like pleasant little hills and it's not until you reach the main bridge and gates into the village that you begin to notice just how effective these fortifications must have been.
surrounding the village is a moat and canals which combined with the walls would make it next to impossible to actually breach the village.

Once you enter the main gate you can walk up some steps to the top of the fortifications and then you are able to walk the entire length of the village from the top of the fortifications. The views to the surrounding countryside are stunning and looking down onto the medievel buildings in the village give you a great glimpse into the past.

During the walk around the fortifications you will see the guard houses where the guards would have stood looking for any enemies. The cannons are still in their original positions and you are able to go right up to these and see them up close.
The village has a few different entrances and seeing the bridges and original gates up close really shows just how good the defences actually were. They may now look historic and attractive but the workmanship is impressive especially considering just how old the actually are.

Walking the length of the village from the top of the fortifications doesn't really take all that long and we did it in only 30 minutes but there are so many things to see and different little detours you can take that it feels like much longer.
Sights along the fortification include the beautiful old windmill, the old armoury and a picture perfect little church. We even found a little tunnel under a hill which lead to the water which was a nice place to stop and just appreciate the beauty of Bourtange.

Bourtange has so much to see and do for a small village but the fortifications are really what the village is famous for and they are certainly worth the long drive to get to Bourtange. Close

From journal A day at Bourtange

History come to life

by jipp05

CA1 1LA, England, United Kingdom

April 26, 2011

Best of IgoUgo Bourtange is a fortified village in the northern Dutch provence of Groningen about 60KM from the city of Groningen and near to the German border. The fortifications around the city are built in a star shape and were originally built in 1580 by ...Read more Bourtange is a fortified village in the northern Dutch provence of Groningen about 60KM from the city of Groningen and near to the German border.
The fortifications around the city are built in a star shape and were originally built in 1580 by William Of Orange to prevent the Spanish who had control of the city of Groningen at the time from being able to use the road that the village stands on to prevent them from being able to bring supplies and effectively cutting the city off.

The village was further reinforced thoughout the ensuing centuries until the advent of modern warefare made the fort pretty much redundunt and in 1851 the fortress lost it's military status and was dismantled in 1881. By the 1950's the village of Bourtange was almost completely abandoned so the regional council decided to reconstruct the fortress in an attempt to rebuild the flagging community. Today the village has a population of 267 people living within it's walls but hundreds more now visit the village as it is now a living open air museum and the town looks much like it would have back in the 18th century.

Entry into Bourtange is absolutely free but there is a charge for entry into the small museums scattered around the town. It is worth paying this small fee to see them but even if you don't there is so much to see and do just walking around the town that you can easily spend a few hours just wandering around especially if it is a nice day like when we visited.

The village is absolutely breathtaking and other than the hordes of tourists in the village you really get a feel of just how life must have been back then. The town is so authentic and beautiful that I was jealous of all the people who get to actually live here and not just visit for the day.
Everything has been preserved so well and it is fascinating walking around the village square and up on the embankments and seeing the cannons and reinforcements up close.

There is even the chance to rent a canoe so you can explore the fortifications from the water. We didn't get to do this but it is something that I would like to go back and try in the future.
There is so much history in the village and everything there is interesting but it definately helps if you visit the tourist information centre first and get some information just so you know exactly what you are looking at. This is located about 500 metres from the actual village and this is also where the car park is so it's pretty easy to find.
Unfortunately there isn't really all that much information in English but they do have some small leaflets explaining what the most important buildings are and some history on them.

Getting to Bourtange is a bit of a hassle as it is so far from everywhere else but the drive itself is nice and it gives you a chance to see some of the Dutch countryside that you otherwise probably wouldn't get to see.
For me I had a really enjoyable day out at Bourtange and think that if you ever get the chance to visit then you definately should as it is such a unique place that deserves to be seen by a wider selection of people other than only the Dutch and Germans. Close

From journal A day at Bourtange

Bourtange Star Fort and Village Open Air Museum

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Bourtange fortifications

History come to life