Pampus

Netherlands / Noord-Holland / Weesp / Fortwoning Pampus
 monument, island, place with historical importance, fortification, interesting place, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Former defensive island - famous for the lack of wind causing many sailing ships to lie dead in the water just in front of it - "lie for Pampus" - now a Dutch expression for being out cold.
Fort Island Pampus was built between 1887 and 1895 on the existing Pampus sandbar as part of the Defense Line of Amsterdam to ward off an attack from the IJ. The first work involved the construction of a work platform on the spot where the center of the fort was located. Materials were delivered by ship from Amsterdam and a German company built the steel gun turrets.
lthough Pampus was commissioned by the Ministry of War, it was never used for any act of war. The fort was manned in the First World War, but saw no action as the Netherlands remained neutral. In peacetime, a small fort guard lived on the island. Fort Island Pampus was closed in 1933.

You can visit it by touristic ferry boat from Muiden: www.pampus.nl
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   52°21'52"N   5°4'8"E

Comments

  • The island Pampus is too small to take the wind out of any sails. The Dutch expression "to lie for pampus" stems from before May 28, 1932. That date marks the end of the Zuiderzee and the beginning of the IJsselmeer. The closure of the Afsluitdijk (English: Closure Dike) ended the tidal influences of the sea. Pampus marked the region of shallow waters before Amsterdam. So, the ships that were "lying for Pampus" were waiting for high tide to allow them to enter the ports of Amsterdam.
This article was last modified 6 years ago