History of Bourtange

The origins of the Fortress date back to the Eighty Years' War. In the 16th century, our ancestors had no control over the groundwater level. Half of the present-day provinces of Groningen and Drenthe were covered by vast, impassable swamps. These swamps were only passable in a few places, and only on hard, sandy passes. One of these was the "two-hour walk, bad pass" across the site where Bourtange would later arise.

In March 1580, the city of Groningen fell into Spanish hands. This happened due to the treachery of George van Lalaing, Count of Rennenberg. He was appointed stadtholder of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe by the States General in 1577. Later in 1580, Prince William of Orange ordered the construction of a fortification with five bastions on the sandy ridge in the marshland on the border with Germany. The road connecting the city of Groningen with Lingen and Westphalia ran over this sandy ridge (tange). The Spanish used this route, among other things, to supply the city. The prince hoped that by constructing the fortification, he would block this vital route. The goal: to ensure that the city of Groningen would be completely isolated.

In 1619, new insights and the increased firepower of the artillery led to the widening and raising of the main rampart. In 1631, the City and Country government realized that the marsh around Bourtange was beginning to dry out. To counter this, they decided to construct a weir in the Ruiten A canal southwest of Bourtange. This would channel the blocked-up water through a newly dug canal, the Moddermansdiep, to the fortress. The excavated soil served as a dike on the north side of the canal.

In 1645, two hornworks were added to the east side outside the crownwork. In 1665, the Bishop of Münster threatened to invade Westerwolde. The redoubt at Bourtange was completely ruined. The palisades had collapsed, the thorn hedges on the embankments had died, and the fortifications and the fortifications in front of the Friesche Poort had collapsed.

The garrison was reduced to just 50 men. Everything was repaired, the trees were cut down, and the garrison was reinforced with a company of soldiers. Additional barracks were built for this purpose. The bishop pushed through to Winschoten but failed to capture Bourtange.

In 1681, the marsh surrounding the Bourtange fortification was completely dry. Farmers had breached the dikes, dug ditches, and converted the marsh into meadows and courtyards. It wasn't until 1737 that, at the behest of the States General, engineer Pieter de la Rive submitted a plan to restore the Bourtange fortification to a defensible condition. This plan was implemented between 1739 and 1742. Two ravelins and a crescent were added to the east side. The forecourt was sculpted into a glacis, a gradually sloping area toward the fortress. This area was bounded on the east side by an excavated wet horizon of 24 hectares, which lay 31 cm below the summer water level. The buildings within the fortress were also fully completed at that time. Thus, the fortress had reached its greatest extent.