Bergen op Zoom

Bergen op Zoom had some of the strongest fortifications in the Low Countries, designed by military engineers like Adriaen Anthonisz and later improved by Menno van Coehoorn. The town was strengthened with bastions, moats, ravelins and lunettes. Some important moments in the history of the fortifications are:

• Eighty Years' War (1568–1648)Bergen op Zoom was besieged by the Spanish in 1588 but managed to hold out.
• Siege of 1747 (War of the Austrian Succession)The French troops under General Löwendal took the city after a heavy siege. This marked the end of Bergen op Zoom as an impregnable fortress.
• 19th centuryIn 1867, like many other fortified towns, Bergen op Zoom lost its military function and many fortifications were demolished or transformed into city parks.