Fort Asperen, Asperen

JohanBakker, on March 8, 2007, said:

the massive tower of the fortress of asperen, the netherlands.

during the late nineteenth century, the idea developed to build these massive towers as the central keep of a fortress. these would provide an enormous concentration of firepower while their solid brick masonary and round shape could withstand and deflect anemy shells.

originally such towers would have stood alone within the fortress, surrounded by a moat. their gable crowned by ornamental crenellations.

unfortunately the developement of heavier firepower made changes in the structure nessicary. the crennelations were removed and replaced by an earth embankment and the side of the tower that was exposed to the enemy was defended by a bomb proof gallery built around the tower or simply by being buried under a massive layer of earth (as happened here).