Defence lines of the Netherlands


Roman defense line

The Vestingwet or Wet tot regeling en voltooiing van het vestingstelsel was signed on 18 April 1874. The law dealt with the defense of the Netherlands against enemy attacks.
The main principle was defense by flooding where as the army of the Netherlands would withdraw to the area around Amsterdam. After the Franco-Prussian War it became clear that a new defense plan was needed. The law was made by the Minister of War August Weitzel under King Willem III. The Law became dysfunctional at 28 March 1938.
During the occupation of the Netherlands, the Germans made fortifications to stop the Allies from liberating the Netherlands and to protect their V2 rocket platforms in the Netherlands. The Germans built new defense lines like the Atlantic Wall but also reused the Dutch defense line like the Grebbe line.
During the Cold War a defence line was created to slow down a potential Soviet attack on the Netherlands.