Tour of the Eighty Years' War above Breda

Above Breda you will pass through a polder that was part of the Breda defence lines, which could be flooded to make life difficult for the enemy. There was a lot of fighting here during the Eighty Years' War. In Terheijden you will find De Kleine Schans, built by the Spanish in 1590. The Spinolaschans on the Strikberg was built in 1637 by Frederik Hendrik. He expanded a fort that had been built earlier by Spinola in 1625. In 1637 the Dutch troops gave the fortress its current form. On the Vrachelse Heide you will discover the Schans at the Pannenhuis. From 1672 the English, French and Germans fought against the Dutch Republic, Republican soldiers retreated behind the Schans at the Pannenhuis.