Strategic Landscape Tour, New Dutch Waterline Defence System

Private tour in Amsterdam

Tour Price : 560-880 euro per trip Duration : full day Languages: English, German, Dutch

The history and geography of the Netherlands are closely related to water and numerous land reclamation projects, which helped the country to become one of the leading economic powers in Europe and garner unique engineering skills. So it’s nothing strange to see a strategic line of defense based on water structures here. The New Dutch Water Line is an immense complex of fortresses, artificial bodies of water and special fortifications that was built from 19th to the beginning  of the 20th century.

From 1568 till 1648 , when the Dutch were at war with Spain and other countries, their strategists realized that bodies of water represent a very effective defense element against enemy troops. So, beginning with the 17th century and until the 1940’s the western part of the Netherlands, which houses its main economic centers such as Amsterdam, was surrounded by a strategic water line system that comprises hundreds of different objects. The idea behind this strategic system is simple – turning the inner part of the country into a wetland literally in case it gets attacked. The need for such a system may be a bit obsolete these days, but this doesn’t make this strategic system any less remarkable.

Our private tour in Holland will take you to the most peculiar points in the Water Line and give you a valuable insight on the technologies used to turn it into one of the most impressive engineering undertakings of its time.

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