World Heritage Photos

Fort Pannerden – The strategic gatekeeper of the Water Line

Fort Pannerden one of the most important forts of the New Dutch Water Line. The New Dutch Water Line is one of the historic Dutch Water Defence Lines and the largest National Monument of the Netherlands. Built in the 19th century, Fort Pannerden it is the easternmost fort of the New Dutch Water Line. It is situated on a headland between the River Waal and the Pannerden Canal. From this location strategic location, the fort guarded the Pannerden Canal, which supplied the water to inundate the New Dutch Water Line.

During the Cold War, an air observation post was built on the fort, which became situated in the middle of the newly constructed New IJssel Line. This defence line was intended to delay or halt a potential invasion by the Soviet Union through massive inundation. In this scenario, the population on the east bank of the IJssel was left at the mercy of the Russians; they were not permitted to seek safety by fleeing across the river to the west. This escape was prevented by blowing up all the bridges over the rivers. It was only after the fall of the Berlin Wall that these undemocratic and chilling, secret state reports were finally released about a defence line that was, incidentally, completely superfluous in a modern era of aircraft and long-range weapons.

Fort Pannerden is situated close to Pannerden, a small village in the eastern part of the Netherlands, not far from the German border. The New Dutch Water Line became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. This defence line, together with the Defence Line of Amsterdam, forms the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Dutch Water Defence Lines.

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    New Dutch Water Line - Fort Pannerden: Fort Pannerden is situated on a headland between the river Waal (on the right hand side) and the Pannerden Canal (on the left hand side). The roof of the fort offers breathtaking views over the Dutch river landscape. The fort is siruated close to Pannerden and Doornenburg, villages in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. The fort is surrounded by the rugged nature of the Klompenwaard, a nature reserve.

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   New Dutch Water Line - Fort Pannerden: Fort Pannerden is one of the most important forts of the New Dutch Water Line. Fort Pannerden was built on a strategic location, at the fork of the river Waal and the Pannerden Canal, the fort guarded the Pannerden Canal, which supplied the water to inundate the New Dutch Water Line. From the roof it is possible to see Arnhem and the Veluwe, the largest push moraine complex in the Netherlands.

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   New Dutch Water Line - Fort Pannerden: The dry moat around Fort Pannerden. The fort was built between 1869 and 1871, the fort was completely built of red brick and mortar, the fort was expanded significantly in the period from 1885-1895. The roof was reinforced with concreet and covered with a layer of earth. Today, the fort is overgrown with grass and wild flowers. In 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, several casemates were built around the fort.

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   New Dutch Water Line - Fort Pannerden: In World War One, the Netherlands remained neutral, Fort Pannerden was mobilized throughout the war and during the first days of World War Two it was also manned. On 11 May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands, cut off from the rest of the Dutch troops, the commander of the fort surrendered under threat of air attacks and artillery shelling.

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   New Dutch Water Line - Fort Pannerden: Nowadays, Fort Pannerden is a museum, the huge five storey building was opened to the public in 2016. The permanent exhibition in Ford Pannerden tells about the role it has played in the time of the New Dutch Water Line and the history of the fort during World War I, World War II and the Cold War. There is also a series of portrait photos depicting soldiers who were stationed in the fort.

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   New Dutch Water Line - Fort Pannerden: After the Second World War, the fort fell into disdispair. During the Cold War, the New IJssel Line was constructed. The fort was situated right in the middle of this defence line. This line was designed to protect the western Netherlands in the event of a hostile attack. The purpose of this defence line remained a secret until 1990; local residents did not know why these waterworks were being constructed, and only high-ranking officials from the towns along the IJssel were aware of the plans.

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   New Dutch Water Line - Fort Pannerden: Fort Pannerden also served as an outpost for the Grebbe Line, a defence line to protect a large part of the Netherlands and a forward defence Line of the Dutch Water Lines. During the Cold War (1945–1991), the fort was part of an large, secure military telephone network designed to warn the Netherlands of a potential Soviet invasion. A small building atop the fort served as an observation station for detecting enemy aircraft.