- Group (min. 20 participants)
- 5.5 hours
‘Between cheese and cabbage’ – Experience Alkmaar and the life of a tuinde
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Quick Details
A cultural-historical day trip for young and old
A beautiful boat trip through the vast landscape of North Holland to the fort at Spijkerboor.
Fort bij Spijkerboor was once part of the “Amsterdam Defense Line”.
It is now managed by Natuurmonumenten and has limited access.
The unique thing about this fort is that it is completely original.
Nothing has ever changed, even the cannons of 1911 are still there!
The fort is specially opened for our passengers.
The guides will give you an interesting tour of “their” fortress.
In short, an experience you will never forget.
Start
- Reception with coffee, tea or lemonade
Ships lunch
- Two tasty sandwiches
- Delicious soup
- Coffee, tea or lemonade
At Fort By Spijkerboor
- Access to the the Fort
- Extensive guided tour thru the Fort
Return trip
- Coffee, tea or lemonade
- Apple pie with whipped cream
- Ship bar is open (not included)
Send us a message or call 072 515 94 90 to schedule an individual day trip. Price on request.
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From 11.45 am: Embarkation – On board the Amalia in Alkmaar you will be greeted with coffee, tea or a soft drink
12 noon: departure from Alkmaar
12.30: Lunch with a cup of soup and delicious sandwiches 1.30 pm: Arrival at Spijkerboor Kai
13:35: beautiful hike with guides through the beautiful open landscape to the Fort (about 800 m)
14.00: Start of the tour through the fort in Spijkerboor
15.45: Departure from Spijkerboor in the direction of Alkmaar
17.30: Arrival in Alkmaar
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Location: nail drill
Owner: Staatsbosbeheer
Current position: museum, beer warehouse
Built in 1889
In 1911 rebuilt neck side main building
Fort bij Spijkerboor is a fortress of Stelling van Amsterdam. It is located on the Westdijk of the Beemster, near Spijkerboor in the Dutch province of Noord-Holland between Krommenie, Castricum, Alkmaar and Purmerend, between the A7, A8 and A9 motorways.
Description
The fort was built between 1889 and 1911 to defend the northern front. Three waterways converge here: the Noordhollands Kanaal and the ring sails of the Beemster and the Starnmeerpolder. I
t served to close and defend the entrances formed by Westelijke Beemsterringvaart with the associated quays and roads. It was at the time one of the most modern and heavily armed forts of the Stelling van Amsterdam, equipped with an armored dome with a double cannon of 10.5 centimeters.
Due to the height of the defensive dike, the fort has two floors. This is almost unique in the position of Amsterdam, only Fort near Hoofddorp has this.
The Fort in Abcoude also has two floors, but it is a brick fort that was still built to the standards of the New Dutch Water Line. The fort was mobilized during the First World War. At that time, 300 soldiers were stationed.
Jail
It was also used as a prison for conscientious objectors for various periods of time. The writer Herman de Man was imprisoned in 1918 for refusing to serve in this fortress. In the May days of 1940, several prominent NSB members were arrested in the fortress, including Kees van Geelkerken. From 1946 to 1947 it was a camp for political offenders. Murals In the Poterne different paintings can be seen. Most were made in the time when the fortress served as a prison shortly after the Second World War.
Among other things, for NSB members, but from 1947 mainly Dutch, who have refused to fight against the struggle for independence in the Dutch East Indies. The last prisoner left the fort on June 18, 1951. Another fort with a remarkable number of images is the fort north of Spaarndam, although some other pictures are also known in other forts. In 1975, the fort was sold by the Ministry of Defense to the domains. For years the Prijs were more vigilant there. In 1992 this service sold it to state Bosbee.
The fort is currently being leased by the Natuurmonumenten Association. It has been restored and can be visited. Among other things, a kitchen with inventory from the fort of Marken-Binnen has been established. The Natuurmonumenten Association regularly organizes excursions to this fortress. Aerial beacon Fort bij Spijkerboor was known for years because a radio beacon was set up for air traffic. The beacon was there from 1952 to 1990. Today, air traffic is supported by a VHF radio station located one kilometer east of the fort. Nature reserve In addition to the part of the canal with bombproof buildings, Fort bij Spijkerboor also means the surrounding fortifications, the glacis and the nature reserve. Like the fort itself, it has been managed since 1992 by the Natural Monuments Association.
The poplar forest south of the fortress is gradually transformed by this association into a varied deciduous forest. The following birds can be found in this nature reserve: Harrier Harrier, small Carekite, blank, Reed Warbler, Little Owl and Kestrel.
Source: Wikipedia