Bourtange Fortified Town

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Built in 1593 to aid the Dutch in the Eighty Years War, the Bourtange star fort was a perfect bastion, having a natural defense provided by the surrounding marshes. Nearly a century later, the Germans tried to attack the fort but were thwarted by the swap. The fort remained a military success until agriculture drained the marshes. In response, it became a non-military town in 1851. Today, Bourtange is an open-air historical area, where visitors can walk through the village’s quiet streets to admire the village’s historic charm before diving into the fort’s museums. The town’s 19th century synagogue has been preserved to commemorate the local Jews who were forced out after Hitler’s invasion. Throughout the year, the fort also hosts historical reenactments, most notably, the Battle of Bourtange, the largest reenactment in the Netherlands.