Pendem Cilacap Fort

Benteng Pendem (Indonesian for "Buried Fort"; Dutch: Kustbatterij op de Landtong te Tjilatjap) is an abandoned Dutch polygonal fortress in Cilacap Regency, Central Java, which has become the region's main tourist attraction. Built between 1861 and 1879, the fortress originally served to defend the important port of Cilacap, though after a series of changes in ownership it fell into disrepair in the 1960s. In 1987 it was opened to the public.

The pentagon-shaped site covers 6.5 hectares (16 acres), and consists of both original buildings – including barracks, a clinic, and a prison – as well as several later additions. It is a Cultural Property of Indonesia.

Text adapted from “Benteng Pendem (Cilacap)” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Pendem Cilacap Fort ranks #4,224 of 8,764 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #19 of the 44 mapped in Indonesia. Founded 1871, it is older than 6% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 655 atlas entries founded in the 19th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,062 times in the last 60 days, more than 51% of the atlas. See how Indonesia compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗