Dutch Star-shaped Fortified Towns in The Netherlands – Meaningful Culture

The best way to explore the Dutch history is to visit these Dutch star-shaped fortified towns! If you look at some cities in The Netherlands on Google maps, you see shapes that will make you happy. When I look at the Dutch Star-shaped fortified towns like for instance Naarden Vesting, Willemstad and Bourtange, I really want to walk there. So in recent years, I have visited a number of these Dutch star-shaped fortified towns in the Netherlands.

Visit the Dutch Star-shaped fortified towns / Meaningful Cultural Trips

Did you know that the Netherlands has no less than 159 fortified towns?

So I can nicely expand this short list over the years. Some star fortified towns are better preserved than others, of course, and you have to start somewhere. I started in Naarden Vesting years ago because I had seen the church tower so many times from the A1.

Why are some cities star-shaped in The Netherlands?

A fortified town is a fort or settlement and has a defensive function. A star fortified town therefore always has an important strategic location in the Netherlands. They are built to guard important border areas and junctions of water and border regions. Because of the star shape, they have a unique defence strategy and only few people are needed to defend the entire fort.

Go on a Meaningful Trip in The Netherlands

Star-shaped fortified town Naarden Vesting

When you go to the starshaped fortress of Naarden Vesting you’ll probably will come from highway A1. And if you look for it you’ll see the square tower of the church standing proud in the landscape. When you come closer you see the water surrouding the city and the high fortress wall that protected the city in the ancient times. I love to see how good these parts of the city are kept well and it still has that starshape!

On that great fortress wall is a museum that tells you all about the history of this great city! It is really worth the visit before exploring the city and its surroundings so you’ll know a bit more about the history and its origine.

Tip: A different way of exploring a Dutch star-shaped fortified town is from the water

You can rent a canoe and go around Naarden Vesting!

I can really recomment you to go to Naarden Vesting for a day!! They call it the Pearl of ‘Het Gooi’.  There is a lot of history to be seen of The Netherlands and the time of the 80 years’ war. But the city has a great shopping centre with small unique shops and a lot of art to be seen and restaurants to have some culinairy specials.

Would you also like to spend a night in Naarden Vesting? Then book your hotel right away to make your visit to this Dutch star-shaped fortified town a reality.

Will you spend the night in this box bed?

You can also easily visit cute Muiden from Naarden Vesting. More on this fun star-shaped town later in this blog.

Visit the Dutch Star-shaped fortified towns in the Netherlands – Meaningful Cultural Trips

Star-shaped fortified town Bourtange

Higher situated in The Netherlands, close to the German border and up in the province Groningen we’ll find the starshaped fortress of Bourtange. I visited on a great summer day and enjoyed this city to the max by walking the fortress wall.

As early as 1580, William of Orange ordered the construction of a fortress here, on the border with present-day Germany. Until 1851, star fortified Bourtange was an important fortress. After this, an agricultural village emerged. The moats and ramparts were rebuilt between the 1960s and 1990s and now you can admire star-shaped fortress town Bourtange again.

Dutch Star-shaped Fortified Towns in The Netherlands – Bourtange

Can you imagine going to the ‘toilet’ in there? There was a hole above the water, the water that surrounded the city.. 🙂

After walking around on the fortress wall I came back at the mill.

The mill is situated just near the entrance of Bourtange.

It was nice and busy on the central square, you can sit down on several terraces and enjoy a cup of coffee and a Dutch delicacy.

It is also a great little city to explore in a afternoon. Before you enter the city there is a museum. If you have some extra time after visiting Bourtange… I love the fact that there are routes you can walk from there. Unfortunately only available in Dutch but I do share it here, maybe you can get the map and still walk it! Check: Groninger Landschap. It’s a route of 8 km and so would take you some 2 hours.

Do you want to make your visit to fortified town Bourtange an instant commitment? Take a look at the hotels and B&Bs in Bourtange

Dutch Starshaped Fortified towns in The Netherlands

Star-shaped fortified town Willemstad

And then we go all the way down into the Netherlands for this last amazing star-shaped fortified town. In northern Brabant against the Belgian border is the fortified town of Willemstad. I passed it by chance while on my way from Bruges to Middelburg and quickly took the exit to also take in this star-shaped fortified town.

Because I was with my dads camper I had a bicycle with me. So parking the camper outside the city and climbing on my bike to explore this little beauty of a starshaped fortress. First of all I went around the city on the fortress wall by bicycle. You’ll get a great view on the city and a feeling on how big, or small it is. But what better way to go on that wall to see that shape, that starshape of this fortress. You’ll see it on the water and the walls, I really love seeing those old shapes! People ages ago were standing there too….nowhere else I feel it that close to me..

The Harbour, the startingpoint of a visit to the Dutch Star-shaped fortified town of Willemstad

Did you know that the original name of the Dutch star-shaped fortified town of Willemstad was Ruigenhil? In 1584, the name was changed to Willemstad, in honour of William of Orange, who was murdered that year. And in 1874, Willemstad became the centre of the Stelling van het Hollandsch Diep and the Volkerak. In the star-shaped fortified town, you can still see the various bastions, soldiers’ houses, a barracks, powder magazines and bunkers.

On every corner sits a bastion. Most of the bastions had strategic vantage points and even today, many of these can still be easily seen. I also saw at many of these bastions the names of provinces that sponsored them. This is how it was done in earlier times, I also see this a lot in old Dutch colonies like Melaka, Malaysia or Galle in Sri Lanka among others.

I love such pictures, do you?

Did you know that there are quite a few more beautiful forts in the area? These are also definitely recommended to visit! Check out the Uit in Willemstad site for more inspiration!

And if you are in the area and want to see another beautiful spot of the Netherlands, I can highly recommend going to Kinderdijk. This place surprised me so positively, it’s like standing looking at a postcard. Really great!

Make it a fun weekend in fortified Willemstad, just book your overnight stay right away.

Star-shaped Fortified Town Zutphen

Another incredibly cute star-shaped fortified town and close to where I live in the Netherlands. The town is was a military stronghold and has been converted into a super atmospheric town. There are several ways to see and visit this star-shaped fortified town. For instance, a nice city walk is of course very interesting, but how about taking a canoe for a stretch into this star-shaped fortified town?

The star-shaped Hanseatic city of Zutphen also used to be part of the IJssel Line and has a rich history dating back deep into the Middle Ages.

Book your overnight stay in the beautiful Broederenkerk in Zutphen and discover the city and its green surroundings with a fun canoe trip, for example.

Star-shaped Fortified town Muiden

Another beautiful fortified town to visit is, of course, Muiden. There you have the Muiderslot but also Fort Island Pampus off the coast. There, too, you imagine yourself in other times. Always lovely!

You also have many opportunities for walking and cycling in the vicinity of the star-shaped fortified town and castle. Wonderful to be so along the Dutch coast, with a view of many memories of times gone by. After all, Muiden formed the beginning of the Dutch Waterline and was also part of the Defence Line of Amsterdam.

Read more about Muiden and Fort Pampus
Book your accommodation near Muiden for your stay right away.

Star-shaped Fortified Town Coevorden

Walking the Pieterpad (Long Distance Hike in The Netherlands) recently, I also passed through the fortified town of Coevorden. What a beautiful place! I read that Coevorden was regularly conquered, destroyed and rebuilt in the Middle Ages. You can almost feel that illustrious past in this star-shaped fortified town also called City of Battle.

Stay a night in Coevorden to explore this lovely town properly. And do it in style in this castle?

Dutch star-shaped fortified town on my to-go list

I still have several on a list of fortified towns to visit in the Netherlands. E.g. Brielle, Den Helder, Gouda, Middelburg, St Maartensdijk and Zierikzee.

Do you know of any other Dutch star-shaped fortified town in The Netherlands?

I hope I have inspired you to also go and visit one of the star fortified towns of the Netherlands. Of course, the history that goes with it is great to hear and, in addition, to be able to walk in those old places. Besides, they are just very cosy and super atmospheric towns!

If you like these Dutch star-shaped fortified towns would you care to share them too for others? You would make me happy by doing so 🙂

Want to see more about The Netherlands

Intertidal Walk Though the Waddensea – The Netherlands

3 ideas for walking in Deventer

Along the Great Mills of Leiden

Visit the Prehistoric Dolmens in Drenthe