Fort Bourtange is a fort in the village of Bourtange, Groningen, Netherlands. The fort was completed in 1593 under the orders of William the Silent during the Eighty Years' War. After the last war in 1851, the fort was converted into a village where it currently serves as a history museum.
The fort's design with solid walls shaped like a star and surrounded by a marshy moat was adopted from Italy in the 15th century. This design is able to provide optimal protection from the threat of attackers from all directions and make the fort difficult to conquer.
This is evident at the end of the war, the fort and the village in it, which contains churches, windmills, bridges and military barracks, have been perfectly preserved until today as a tourist museum.
