Fort Rammekens

Fort Rammekens is considered the oldest sea fort in Western Europe. It is located east of Vlissingen near the village of Ritthem on the Walcheren peninsula in the Dutch province of Zeeland. The fortress has been declared a Rijksmonument.

The 16th-century fortress is strategically located near the village of Ritthem on the north bank of the Westerschelde at the entrance to the present-day Sloe harbor. From here, it controlled the former access to the port of Middelburg.

The fortification was built by the architect Donato de Boni on behalf of Emperor Charles V in the Italian Renaissance style. After his withdrawal, the Geuzen occupied the strategically important site during the Eighty Years' War. Subsequently, the fort was for a time in English possession in exchange for support against the Spanish.

Napoleon I had the fortification rebuilt. A castle inside had to make way for casemates.

During the Battle of the Scheldt Estuary in 1944, the fort served military purposes one last time when the German occupation set up a machine gun position here. The Allied bombardment of the dikes left traces in the landscape. Water flowing in after dike breaches partially remained on the grounds around the fort.

The Rammekenshoek forest area is a protected biotope. The northeastern part is a military restricted area. The dike at the fort offers a contrasting view over the Westerschelde to the Sloe harbor, the Borssele nuclear power plant, and the industrial areas of Terneuzen on the opposite side of the Scheldt.