A series of moats and fortresses were built over the West Brabant Water Line region of the Netherlands during the 17th century in order to provide protection from invasion by France and Spain. Fort de Roovere was surrounded with a shallow moat that was too deep to march across, and too shallow for boats. In turn the earthen fort had remained protected –until now.
From afar, the Moses Bridge is invisible to the eye. The flow of the moat appears continuous, as the water level remains at the same level, reflecting the surrounding foliage. As visitors approach the fort, the bridge appears as a break in the water with its sloping walls containing it.
First lying flush with the earth, the bridge then descends deeper into the ground. Lined with wood sheet piling for walls, the deck and stairs sit between. The sides of the bridge are made from Accoya, and a hardwood is used for the bridge decking. Accoya wood undergoes a nontoxic modification process that helps prevent fungal decay and increases its durability, making it an ideal material for a sunken bridge. Like a dam, the walls of the bridge hold the waters of the moat back, and like Moses, the bridge parts the waters so that pedestrians may pass.
The Moses Bridge gives visitors a unique opportunity to pass through parted waters, to eventually meet a historic fortress of defense.
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Curiosity – How are changes in the water level dealt with?
What happens with rainwater? Will it sink?
this was flooded
It fails the EU directive on disabled access!!
What a sad place the world would have been if if all the great wonders of the world – including the universe itself – had been designed to meet the EU directive on disabled access!
How does the rain water drain that is inside the bridge?