Fort St. Michael (Venlo)

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Fort St. Michael is a former fort in Venlo in the former Duchy of Geldern , since 1815 in the Dutch province of Limburg .

history

Map of Fort Sint-Michiel, 1810

Around the year 1450 there were defenses at the site of today's barracks on the west bank of the Meuse ; initially it was a wooden palisade . A belt of bastions and canals for fortification was built around Venlo . The soldiers stationed there were mostly billeted with the citizens.

Eighty Years War

During the Eighty Years' War took William of Orange in 1572 a first attempt, the city Venlo of Philip II. Of Spain to conquer, but attempt failed. Wilhelm's twelve-year-old son, Moritz , made another attempt to conquer the city of Venlo in 1579 and was successful.

In 1585 a horn factory was built on the western bank of the Meuse . This hornwork, consisting of a hill with a guardhouse, served the following year as the basis for the siege of Alessandro Farnese , Duke of Parma in the service of the King of Spain. In June 1586 Venlo was again in Spanish hands.

In 1632, Prince Friedrich Heinrich (with the Dutch nickname de Stedendwinger ) won Venlo from the Spaniards, who abandoned the fort, during the Eighty Years War. On August 25, 1637, the prince lost the city again to the Spaniards after a long and heavy siege. The Spanish side was of the opinion that the city should be fortified better. Although there had been a massive defensive structure on the Meuse side since the 16th century, the so-called Steine ​​Bolwerck , it was nevertheless decided to build a new fortress on the opposite side. This construction began on September 29, 1641, the name day of Archangel Michael, and the fortress was named after the Archangel.

In 1646 Friedrich Heinrich made an attempt to regain control of the fortress and the city of Venlo. Since the fortress had been fully functional and in use since 1644, this attempt failed.

Peace of Westphalia and War of the Spanish Succession

As a result of the Peace of Westphalia , the Venlo fortress was transferred to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , but the city of Venlo itself remained in Spanish hands. In 1702 the fortress was besieged for a month. After the Dutch had won a victory elsewhere and celebrated it with a salute, the Spanish city commander assumed that another attack was imminent. Knowing that his garrison could not withstand another attack, he surrendered. Menno van Coehoorn seized the opportunity and conquered the city and the fortress. The Count of Varo became governor that year and took command of the fortress. Then three new fortresses were built around the city: Fort Ginkel (in front of the Gelderner Tor), Fort Beerendonck (near the Martinikirche ) and Fort Cologne (in front of the Kölner Tor). The Tegelpoort ( Tegelener Tor), which was built in the fourteenth century and connected to Judenstrasse, was replaced by the Roermondsepoort ( Roermonder Tor) near the Vleesstraat. The state also built some important military buildings in the city center: the arsenal, two powder magazines - next to the Martini church and the Helschriksel - and two large barracks, the large block and the small block at Roermondsepoort. The construction of two barracks relieved the pressure on the city from the garrison. Many citizens were exempt from billeting.

French and Belgian time

On February 12, 1793, the fortress was occupied by French troops. From there, the Venlo fortress was under attack during the French offensive. After the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte , both fort and fortress came back into Dutch hands.

Some reports about Fort St. Michael date from the 18th century . The fortress was too far from the Meuse and was relatively easy to take by the enemy, which is why it could be used as a base against the city. That is why in 1831, during the Belgian Revolution , Fort Leopold was built between Fort Sankt Michael and the Maas . An estimated a quarter of the city has been confiscated by the military, while Venlo was already overcrowded. The city walls were jammed, building outside the city was forbidden for strategic military reasons. This led to irresponsible conditions in terms of housing and hygiene. Several families lived in almost all houses. Businesses were built right next to the residential area. Waterworks and sewer systems were still unknown.

Shutdown

At the moment the only visible remnant of Fort Sankt-Michael

In 1867 Venlo was released from fortress status; the works were quickly destroyed. Only on the Maas ( De Luif ) and the Mariaweide monastery garden have remains been preserved. On behalf of the government, the engineer Willem Frederik van Gendt developed a plan for new streets around the old town. The government demanded that the Minderbroederskaserne remain in operation, so that the city itself was not initially secured by the military. It was not until 1909 that the state and the city administration reached an agreement to close the barracks. The community received the barracks and in return gave the government the site of the former Fort Sankt Michael. The old monastery, with the exception of the church, which is today's youth church, and the remaining barracks buildings were demolished.

future

On November 10, 2010, the municipality of Venlo announced that parts of the old Fort St. Michael had been uncovered and the excavations were well preserved. There is no doubt that this is a discovery of historical importance. The community is currently considering what to do with these remains.

The remains are considered unique to the Netherlands because it is one of the few fortresses built by the Spanish on Dutch soil. Above all, the completeness of the building complex plays an important role, which - according to archaeological findings - is unique.

literature

Web links

Commons : Fort St. Michael  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Franeker: Uitgeverij Lost. in: PW van Wissing, JAE Kuys: Biographical Dictionary Gelderland (Biographical Woordenboek Gelderland, 2006), ISBN 978-90-6550-891-1 . P. 111 ( limited preview in Google Book search)
  2. ↑ archaeological report Fort Sankt-Michael ( memento of the original from August 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 95.5 MB) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.venlovernieuwt.nl

Coordinates: 51 ° 22 ′ 19 ″  N , 6 ° 9 ′ 33 ″  E