Presentation topic: Fortress

In antiquity and in the Middle Ages, city walls and towers were built of stone, brick, wood. A moat usually erupted around them, sometimes filled with water. City fortifications served as a shelter from the enemy of the townspeneighboring ople and residents of settlements.

In the middle of the XVI century, the war for the independence of the Netherlands from Spain began. The old walls of the Dutch cities could not resist the cannons, and there was no money or time to build stone bastions according to the "Italian system". Therefore, the Dutch began to build bastions with low earthen ramparts, but protected by wide water ditches.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the role of fortresses decreased. This was due, firstly, to the fact that the armies became much larger and the commanders during the offensive could safely leave the enemy fortresses in their rear, having allocated part of the troops to observe them. Secondly, the armies began to obtain food in the enemy’s country by means of requisition, and in this regard they became less dependent on the stores located in the fortresses.

This led to the conclusion that the old fortresses, consisting of one closed fence, could not contain the means to supply and supply the army maneuvering in the neighborhood, and give this army temporary shelter, that they could not accommodate a sufficiently strong and large garrison, which, under favorable circumstances, could conduct active operations that the old fortresses do not protect residents, city buildings, warehouses from siege bombardment.

In this connection, the idea arose of large fortresses-camps with fortifications separately located in front of the fence, which did not allow the enemy to establish tools close enough to shell the fortified core of the fortress. The first such fortress camps arose in Germany.