Fort Nieuw Sint Andries

New Fort Sint Andries is a ruin of a fort from 1812. This is a replacement of the old Fort Sint Andries, which was built by the Spanish troops during the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648). The Oude Fort Sint Andries was built in 1599, but was already taken over in 1600 by the troops of Prince Maurits (1567-1625). The fort was in a very strategic location. From this elevated location, troops had a perfect overview of the river areas of the Bommelerwaard and the Land van Maas en Waal, which were even more difficult to conquer. In 1812 the old fort was dilapidated and the new fort of the same name was erected. During the Second World War, the fort was in German hands for a long time. With Operation Market Garden in September 1944, Allied troops from the south tried to conquer the major rivers one by one and thus attack the whole of the Netherlands. The great rivers, traditionally a natural defense mechanism, turned out not to be conquered just like that. In the Bommelerwaard the Allies got stuck at the Maas. The occupiers blew up Fort Sint Andries in April 1945, when they foresaw that they would not be able to repel the attack by the Allies. The ruins of the fort can still be visited today.