Behind a metre-high wooden gate, guarded by the sea god Neptune, your journey through time begins. Fort Rammekens on the Western Scheldt is the oldest sea fort in Western Europe. It was built between 1547 and 1552 to guard shipping to Middelburg and Antwerp.
In the semi-darkness of casemates, powder magazines and bastions, you wander through the traces of centuries. Spanish soldiers, Dutch sea beggars, English mercenaries, French revolutionaries, German soldiers. These people all left their mark on this impressive defensive structure. From the fort, you have a panoramic view of the Western Scheldt and the activity of the port of Flushing. You see a landscape that still revolves around water, trade and strategic location today.
Fort Rammekens shows how the strategic location of the delta was decisive for trade, power and conflict. The fort was built on a sandy spur on the Western Scheldt. The presence of natural salt marshes around it emphasises how nature and fortification have complemented each other here for centuries.