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Bourtange

Established during the Eighty Years' War, the fortified town of Bourtange is a charming destination in the Westerwolde region of the Northern Netherlands, right on the border with Germany. Its stunning architecture and beautifully renovated state make it one of the best surviving examples of a star fort in Europe. Although mostly unknown to international visitors from further away, German and Dutch tourists are increasingly discovering this quaint village, where it seems to the eye that little has changed since 1782. The small community that lives in and around the fort -about 430 people in total- caters to the visitors' needs by means of friendly hotels, pleasant cafés and an abundance of r

See
6
Eat
2

8 places

  1. Eat

    's Lands Huys

    Once the administrative centre of the fort, this former staff office is now a restaurant, also equipped to receive groups. It serves a good variety of dishes, including simple soups or sandwiches but also steaks and salads for lunch. For dinner, mains are under €20 euro and come in plenty of meat, fish and veggie variants.

    Open daily, year roundup to €20 for mains

  2. Eat

    't Oal Kroegie

    This is the smaller of the two places, and mostly a café. It does serve lunch, but no dinner. Don't expect anything special, but you'll get good enough food for a fair price.

    €5-15

  3. See

    Captain’s House

    The former house of the army captain is now one of the most charming buildings within the walls and meant to give an insight in an officer's life within the fort. There's an exhibition room displaying the interior as it might have been back in the day, and the kitchen is refurbished in the same way. The house originates from 1661 and still has an original fireplace and tiled floors from those times.

  4. See

    Information Centre

    Located at the entrance of the fort, this is where you park your car, can buy combined entrance tickets for the museums, and get all the information you'd like about this place. It provides a short visual introduction to the history of Bourtange and can help with bookings for lodging. Here, you'll also find toilets and an ATM.

    Mon-Fri 09:15-17.00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00

  5. See

    Museum De Baracquen

    Once the soldiers barracks, this museum displays a replica of such a soldiers home, and also has a good number of artefacts found in and around the fort.

  6. See

    Synagogue

    Up until WWII, the Jewish synagogue was in use as a house of prayer for the Jews of Bourtange. Almost all of them were deported, however, and no more than five returned. Today, this 1842 building is nicely renovated and now serves as a museum full of pictures and objects. It's located in the Batterijenstraat.

  7. See Not mapped

    Filmzaal De Poort

    In the movie hall, a 30 minute film about the history and restoration of the fort is on repeat. It also has a scale model of the whole fort on display.

  8. See

    Victoria Candle workshop

    Victoria Kaarsenmakerij

    Vestingstraat 1

    €5.95