Voor kinderen
Fort Sint-Andries is strategically positioned on a narrow tract of land that lies where the Maas and Waal rivers almost meet near the village of Heerewaarden. There were actually two different forts with the same name: an old fort that was built by the Spaniards during the Eighty Years’ War and the new fort, built in 1815, of which only a few ruins remain.
Old Sint-Andries
In 1598, the Spaniards started a major military offensive in the Low Countries and besieged Zaltbommel, a town directly on the border at the time. With considerable difficulty, Maurice of Nassau’s Dutch States Army managed to defend the city. To bolster the Spanish attack, the Spaniards built Fort Sint-Andries, which at that time, was their largest military stronghold in the Netherlands. The church in Rossum was demolished for building materials for the fort, so that the Spanish troops could keep the Maas and Waal rivers under close surveillance.
Key to Holland
The Dutch States Party called Fort Sint-Andries the `key to Holland’, and for a whole year, Maurice’s troops, stationed nearby at Fort de Voorne, fought fiercely in the area surrounding Sint-Andries. When the foreign mercenaries fighting with the Spaniards started to rebel because they were still waiting to be paid, and when Maurice offered them 125,000 guilders, the German and Walloon troops soon switched allegiance to the Dutch States Party. With this rebellion came the transfer of the fort into Dutch hands in 1600.
A new Fort Sint-Andries
After the Eighty Years´ War, the fort slowly fell into disuse. It was regularly cut off when waters were high and in 1794, the French set fire to it. In 1815, it was finally decided to demolish what remained of the old fort and build a new one slightly further west.
This fort was a tower with two storeys and room for 260 men. Its role was to control the Maas and Waal rivers and protect the floodgates.
In April 1945, the fort was blown up by German troops. The ruins are now open to the public, where you can see a bunker dating from 1936 and a watch tower from the Cold War. Heerewaarden also has a visitors´ centre.
