Experience the bastei

From the exhibition 2000 years of building along the Waal or Origins of a Landscape, you walk into the cannon passage. You are now in the only remaining 'bastei' in the Netherlands! Most of our museum is located in this bastion. This iconic fortification is situated on the Waalkade and is clearly visible from the Waal Bridge. But, uhm, what is a 'bastei' exactly?

16th-century defense tower: a 'bastei'

At the end of the 15th century, the medieval city defense was modernized. To avoid the blind spots of low, round defense towers, or rondels, the German artist Albrecht Dürer devised grand construction plans for a bastion. A fortification that is much larger than a rondel. The ground plan is horseshoe-shaped, with straight flanks tapering to a semi-circular front. A bastion has many more gunports than a rondel. This allowed the enemy to be fired upon from many more angles. Museum De Bastei is located in the only bastion that still exists in the Netherlands, which at the time of construction was named De Stratemakerstoren. This bastion has fourteen gunports. These gunports are connected by a cannon passage that leads to two casemates. 

Did you know that this bastion was never actually completed? The construction was far too expensive and quickly became outdated, as it could not withstand new, more mobile cannons.

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