The Menno van Coehoorn tour gives us a complete picture of Menno van Coehoorn's fortress.

The Bergen op Zoom sections of the Zuiderwaterlinie showcase the final stage of Dutch fortress construction, with everything represented: bastions, ravelins, lunettes, glacis and inundations, but also listening galleries, kilometres-long passages and ‘flapped mines’.

Much of the fortification has been demolished; not visible but often still present below ground level. We refer to the ‘Hidden Fortification’. In Bergen op Zoom, a part has been uncovered and can be visited. In a cellar, you will find the remains of a part of the fortification with the remains of a massive tower staircase, the ‘Galerie Majeure’, and flight mines.

Then there is the unique situation of a model being made in 1750, depicting the entire city with all houses in detail and the entire fortress. All together, around 15 by 6 metres in size.

We'll go up the stairs at the Tourist Information Centre to the model. There we'll have a complete overview and see the strategic ingenuity of Menno van Coehoorn. Then we'll go through the city to a still existing ravelin, descend into the casemates and imagine ourselves as soldiers peering through the loopholes at the enemy. Finally, we'll see the excavated remains in the Cellar and be surprised by giant cinema screens telling the story of the siege by the French in 1747, which brought an end to the illustrious fortress.

Information and books: https://www.stadsgidsen-bergenopzoom.nl/49/menno-van-coehoorntocht