Vechtach Fortress

Construction of the Vechta Citadel began in 1666 under the aegis of the Münster Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen and was completed in 1669. The fortress, originally named “Sancta Maria,” was intended to protect the Catholic-dominated areas from the advance of Protestant forces from the direction of Bremen. In 1684, a city fire destroyed large parts of Vechta. Subsequently, the city was relocated to create a clear field of fire for the citadel, which now functioned as a standalone fortress. The original Vechta Castle was demolished, and its stones were used for the construction of the citadel's casemates. The fortress itself was designed as a regular pentagon with bastions such as St. Paulus and Christoph Bernhard, following a system by the Dutch and French fortress builders Henrick Ruse and Sébastien Le Prêtre de Vauban.