Fort Belgica

Fort Belgica is a 17th-century fort in Banda Neira, Banda Islands, Maluku Islands (the Moluccas), Indonesia; administratively in Central Maluku Regency, Maluku. The fort acted as a fortification system for the islands of Banda which was the only place in the world during that period where nutmeg was produced.

Before Fort Belgica, there was a 16th-century Portuguese fort standing on a hill in Banda Neira. On September 4, 1611, Pieter Both, the first Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, instructed the construction of a new fort to fortify the hill which dominated the original Dutch fortress, Fort Nassau. This fort was to be named either Belgica or Nederland, and it became Fort Belgica. Fort Belgica was a modest square fort on top of a hill. In 1662, Jan Pieterszoon Coen ordered the renovation of the original fort, so it was replaced with a more solid redoubt that could accommodate 40 men.

By the mid-seventeenth century earthquakes, the tropical monsoonal climate, and poor original construction materials and techniques had resulted in the structure becoming dilapidated. In 1667, Governor Cornelis Speelman instructed Engineer Adriaan de Leeuw to redesign and reconstruct the fort. The result was the present "castle", the major modification works started in 1672 and was completed by 1673. The new Fort Belgica was built from stone shipped to the island. The new design consisted of a low outer pentagonal structure with five angled corner bastions and a higher inner pentagon with five tall circular towers. It is the only fort of this kind throughout the Banda Islands.

Despite over 300,000 guilders spent on the modifications, an armament of 50 guns and a garrison of 400 men Fort Belgica surrendered to a British fleet in 1796 without a shot fired. Returned to Dutch control in 1803, it was again taken by the British in 1810, when it was stormed by a naval force under Captain Christopher Cole.

Partially demolished in 1904, it was incompletely rebuilt in 1919. In 1991, following the order of General Benny Moerdani, at the time the Minister of Defense and Security of Indonesia, the fort was thoroughly restored.

Fort Belgica sits on top of a hill on the southwestern part of the island Banda Neira. The fort overlooks Fort Nassau, lower on the foot of the hill to the south.

Text adapted from “Fort Belgica” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Fort Belgica ranks #2,103 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #9 of the 39 mapped in Indonesia. Founded c. 1650, it is older than 26% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 580 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,535 times in the last 60 days, more than 60% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how Indonesia compares in the castle statistics.

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