April 2020
The weekend of 25 & 26 April 2020 EFFORTS Europe and Stichting Liniebreed Ondernemen are organizing the European Fortress Day for the third time. We do this because we want to put the beautiful military heritage with fortresses and fortified cities on the international map. In 2019 there were 15 participating European countries that have jointly opened more than 100 heritage sites. Which fort will you visit?
Participate in the European Fortress Day? Send an e-mail to titia@liniebreed.nl with this completed participant form.
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More informatie about European Federation of Fortified Sites: www.efforts-europe.eu
The program below is from 2019. In March we will upload the program of 2020.
In the fortified city of Den Bosch, several military locations are open to the public on Saturday 14 and / or Sunday 15 September. Visit for example Saint Johns’ Bulwark; a defense structure built in front of the medieval city gate on the west side of the city center. Learn more about the military heritage in the underground Bastionder Information Center. September the 15th you can also visit two fortresses: Orthen Fortress and Isabel Fortress. In the Arsenal you can join in several guided tours or play the Pieckenpoort Game with Virtual Reality glasses.
8 september: Visit ‘Schans Landmolen’ and the surrounding. This small fortress (schans) is part of de outer defense of Antwerp first World War. Visitors at Fort 2 can participate in guided tours to an exhibition about murals and graffiti in the Antwerp fortresses. The museums about the two world wars, the V-weapons and the gun gallery can also be visited freely. A drink can be enjoyed in the fort pub. Fort of Oelegem has special remains of authentic metal parts like pieces of plate/canon mountings, munition elevators and original cooker hoods. Unique to see here is graffiti from 110 years ago. Fort van Walem is open van 10.00 til 16.00 hour for guided tours. Fort Hoboken (Fort 8) is open from 10.00 till 17.00 hour with guided tours for adults and childeren.
29 september: Visit Fort Duffel. From 13.00 till 17.00 hour there are free guided tours. Registration in advance is required by mail: reservatie@gidsenfortduffel.be.
Today Suomenlinna is a home for 800 residents and a working place for 300-500 people.
On European Fortress Day 5 September visitors will have a chance to interact with landscape maintenance and conservation architecture professionals on a tour around the fortress. During the day participants will also have a chance to visit venues at the fortress that are normally closed to public.
Besides the re-enactment, on the day the public will be allowed to visit Upper Fort St Angelo, which is administered by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (the Order of St John) as well as the Fort’s interpretation centre and dioramas. This year’s event will coincide with the closing of an ongoing temporary exhibition on site ‘Behind Closed Doors Fort St Angelo & the Royal Navy 1906-1979’ to commemorate the 40th anniversary from the departure of the last foreign military forces from Malta.
Friday 27th September: tangible meets the intangible heritage: visitors will enjoy in a remarkable cultural programme on St. Michael’s Fortress – an evening performance of Choral Society of Šibenik “Kolo“.
Saturday 28th September: visitors will be able to experience and understand the importance of cultural heritage through interactive educational workshops on Barone Fortress. Workshops are designed to aid the learning of history of Šibenik and its fortresses.
Sunday 29th September: celebration of St. Michael – the protector of City of Šibenik. Both St. Michael’s and Barone Fortress will be opened to general public. Visitors will be able to experience history by using augmented reality devices, while their reality is expanded by computer generated image and sound.
The stately citadel of Blaye is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most beautiful Vauban locations. City walls, fortified gates, barracks, prison, roadblock, are all examples of the defense system that you can admire along the route. To find out more about the history and heritage of Blaye, you can visit the Museum of Art and History of Pays Blayais, with various collections, a tour of the citadel and the underground corridors; or you can opt for an explained tour with the tourist train.
Camden hosts many exhibitions to tell the story of its past , from history based rooms and artefact displays, to photo exhibitions of the forts. The onsite Café facilities, boasts one of the finest decking areas with panoramic views of Cork harbour including Cobh, Spike Island and Roches Point, overlooking the main shipping channel the perfect place to get a close up view of all of the luxury liners that pass through. The fortress is open all weekends in September, but 14 & 15 September there’s a special programme for European Fortress Day; a live reenactment (14th); live music from the Cork Light Orchestra (15th), and; the presence of an on-site historian (14th and 15th).
Spike Island intends deploying the mobile guns out onto the parade square for the EFFORTS weekend on September 7 & 8 and will have experienced veterans to man each of them. Normally the guns are on display in a specially developed exhibition area. The other coastal guns will also be manned for this special occasion.
European fortress day celebration at Fort no. 3 event is the part of the Kaunas fortress festival “Battery’19”. On September 21 we are inviting you to join heritage day in fort no.3. To hear a story about development of Kaunas Fortress Park. Fort – theater, fort that educates, fort that is an open space for culture. Heritage that is full of culture. Enthusiasts and citizens of the city that found a way to the important sites of our history and difficult memories of people that lived through.
The programme includes: opening of exhibitions: „Poterns of memory“, new chamber hall in casemate, Lithuanian militarys uniform exposition and educational program, maquette and creative workshops for kids, free guided tours, taste the tea of the fort no. 3, „Soup from the ax stem“, and to perform in open space – platform for arts and creativity. The fort will be open from 10AM to 8PM.
Within the framework of expert tours, you will learn many interesting facts about life in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, about international cooperation 500 years ago and the Preußens penchant for distant countries, but also about what contemporary artists associate with and inspire the fortress. The first Sneak-peek guided tours will take a look at the new art exhibition at the ZAK even before it opens. There is also a lot for the youngsters to discover: The premiere of the students project “Das Denkmal als Filmkulisse” (The Monument as a Film) takes up the cinematic past of the Citadel; artistic workshops and a photo rally are devoted to the aesthetics of the wall. Many of the approximately 500 doors on the Citadel are open to you and we invite you and your families to discover the many facets of the historical island and the cultural site of the Citadel!
Program will follow soon
There’s lot to explore at Petrovaradin fortress, like Fortress walking routes. Explore outstanding, yet long-neglected 18th-century urban landscape of the Petrovaradin Fortress. Hear local heritage stories, learn about the latest archeological findings, witness the Lower Fortress facade reconstruction process, enjoy a magnificent view from the Upper Fortress, read about forgotten and lost heritage, walk through layers of history, sense the way of living inside the Fortified Town, smell the aroma of the Danube river in the early autumn breeze and create memories and take photos of this unique experience.
Sociologist mr Ilija Galonja will lead walking tour throu 18th century town inside of Petrovaradin fortess. He will explain every day life of citizens and military personel inside of fortress in first half of 19th century using records from firts written history of Petrovaradin by Franz Schams (published 1820. in Pest) and english traveler John Palgrave Simpsons from his Letters from Danube (published 1847. in Lonodn).