Naarden

Naarden is the most complete bastioned fortress town in the Netherlands and one of the best in Europe: a six-pointed star of ramparts with six bastions, ringed by two moats with an outer line of ravelins between them, rebuilt in this form and finished in 1685, after William III retook it in 1673 from the French, who had taken the neglected old fortress without a fight in 1672. It guarded the Hollandse Waterlinie, the defence line that flooded a strip of country to block an advance on Amsterdam, and the sluices for that are part of the works. The whole thing is intact, in use as a town, and the shape only fully resolves from the air, which is why the aerial photograph is on every book about it. The Nederlands Vestingmuseum occupies one bastion with its casemates and passages. Comenius, the Czech educational reformer, is buried in a mausoleum here, which brings Czech visitors.

History

Naarden received city rights in 1300, the only town in the Gooi to have them, and grew into a fortified garrison town with a textile industry. The Czech educator John Amos Comenius was buried here in the 17th century, and his mausoleum is open to visitors; in the 18th century Naarden was overtaken in population by Hilversum (Wikipedia, Naarden).

Highlights

• A complete six-pointed star - ramparts, bastions, double moats and ravelins.
• Rebuilt after 1673 - modernised once William III retook it from the French, finished in 1685.
• A fortress museum in a bastion - casemates and passages open to walk.
• The Comenius mausoleum - the Czech reformer's grave, a pilgrimage for some.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Good to know

The star shape is only obvious from above - on the ground it is ramparts and water. The museum casemates are cold and dark. The town inside is small and given over to restaurants. Parking is limited.

Nearby

Naardermeer is west; Muiden and its castle are north.

Key facts