Tour of the Spanish redoubts and Vrachelse Heide

  • The Netherlands
  • North Brabant
  • Breda
  • 37.54 km (Approximately 02:12 u)
  • Cycling route 1137483
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Tour of the Spanish redoubts and Vrachelse Heide

  • The Netherlands
  • North Brabant
  • Breda
  • 37.54 km (Approximately 02:12 u)
  • Cycling route 1137483
During the Eighty Years' War you found the Breda defense lines in this region. The Lage Vuchtpolder could be flooded to make life difficult for the enemy, thanks to defenses such as De Redoutes on Zwarte Dijk and Lage Vuchtpolder Fort. Discover the Strikberg right away. This hill has always been slightly higher than the surrounding polder. During the siege of 1637 it was the site of a redoubt. In Terheijden, on the river Mark, you will find the Kleine Schans: a Spanish army camp from 1590. In 1830 it was still used as a bulwark against the Belgians, because of the Belgian war of secession. You cycle back via the Hoop Doet Leven windmill in Made and the Vrachelse Heide.

Directions

# Description Distance
Redoutes aan Zwarte Dijk en Lage Vuchtpolder (Tussen de Dijken, 4825 BZ, Breda, North Brabant, The Netherlands) 0.00 km
75
75 (4844EP, Breda, North Brabant, The Netherlands) 3.12 km
Strikberg (4825 BZ, Breda, North Brabant, The Netherlands) 3.84 km
De Spinolaschans (De open line, 4825 BZ, Breda, North Brabant, The Netherlands) 4.15 km
77
77 (4825BP, Breda, North Brabant, The Netherlands) 4.58 km
79
79 (4826AB, Breda, North Brabant, The Netherlands) 5.75 km

Sights

Redoutes aan Zwarte Dijk en Lage Vuchtpolder

Tussen de Dijken
4825 BZ Breda
https://www.zuiderwaterlinie.nl/11-vestingsteden/forten-in-nederland/zwarte-dijk-en-lage-vuchtpolder

Vucht is Old Dutch for moisture. The Lage Vuchtpolder nature reserve, north of Breda, is a wet, swampy area. For the war this was a very difficult area, with a single intervention the terrain was under water, so that it could not be navigated or passed by heavy artillery. The ring around the city was reinforced by field works such as redoutes, redoubts and fortresses. The roads along the Zwarte Dijk were reconstructed in 2017. Now this polder is gradually being returned to nature. That makes it one of the most valuable wet nature areas in Brabant. A wet natural pearl to discover.

Strikberg


4825 BZ Breda

The Strikberg was always slightly higher than the polder around it. During the siege of 1637 it was the site of a small ramp.

De Spinolaschans

De open line
4825 BZ Breda
https://www.zuiderwaterlinie.nl/11-vestingsteden/forten-in-nederland/spinolaschans

Soldiers no longer walk there, the contours of the defensive structure can only be seen from the air. But the Spinolaschans in Breda is still there, hidden between the trees. Flora and fauna now predominate on this former battleground. This 'Grote Schans' was an independent defense work with four bastions. It was part of a thirty-mile line. The Spanish general Spinola built it in 1624 so that no food could be found in Breda. With success, because after eleven months the city surrendered. Immediately afterwards, Spinola dismantled the Spinolaschans in Breda. Nevertheless, Frederik Hendrik redesigned the Great Schans in 1637: he besieged Breda and recaptured the city from the Spaniards.

De Kleine Schans

De Kleine Schans
4844 BR Drimmelen
https://www.zuiderwaterlinie.nl/11-vestingsteden/forten-in-nederland/schans-terheijden

The Kleine Schans may be called small, but it has a real war history. The Spaniards built the Kleine Schans in 1639 to protect shipping on the river Mark and the Breda-Moerdijk connection. This allowed the polders around Terheijden to be flooded. After the Eighty Years' War, the redoubt was removed, to be resurrected in 1830 as a bulwark against the Belgian insurgents.

Hoop Doet Leven


4921HK Drimmelen
http://www.allemolens.nl

The mill was built in 1867. In the autumn of 1944 the mill was damaged by combat actions. The mill was restored in 1971. The mill is again regularly used on wind power by the volunteer miller.

De Hoop


4911BA Oosterhout
http://www.allemolens.nl

Take a look at Molen de Hoop on the edge of Den Hout. The mill runs regularly and that is worth seeing for yourself. However, the mill has not been able to grind since 2014.

Schans bij het Pannenhuis

Vrachelseheide
4911 BS Oosterhout
https://www.zuiderwaterlinie.nl/11-vestingsteden/forten-in-nederland/schans-bij-pannenhuis

From 1672 onwards the English, French and Germans fought against the Republic. Republican soldiers withdrew behind the Schans at the Pannenhuis. Enemy soldiers stayed in the inns and with residents of Oosterhout. This is also the case in the Pannenhuis. Owner Cornelis Bus declared the billeted soldiers 62 guilders and 8 stuivers. In the area the English caused a lot of damage to forests, fields, crops, houses and barns. The village council decided: after six o'clock no more beer for the English.

Brabants Museum Oud Oosterhout

Proeflokaal Bregje
4904PD Oosterhout

Provided by:

Groots Genieten