Fort de Roovere (the largest fortress in West Brabant) is the site of an innovative bridge that allows visitors to cross the water by seemingly going to the top. Mozer Bridge (or Moses Bridge) is an engineering marvel that, at first glance, can make people who get nervous on the water think about crossing the road.
A number of forts and caves were built in the 17th century along the waterline of West Brabant. One of them, Fort de Roovere, had a shallow ditch all around, too deep to cross, but too shallow for boats to float.
The bridge is flush with the ground around it towards the slopes and is clad in wooden sections that form the walls, along with stairs and decks. The sides of the bridges are made of accoya, a hardwood commonly used in bridge decks. This wood has undergone a non-toxic modification process and this is what prevents it from falling victim to mold destruction.
However, the water never flows over the bridge, making it inaccessible. This is because there are two dams on either side of the ditch and this can maintain the water level. When it rains, there is a pump at the bottom of the bridge that drains the excess water.
Walking on the Water Using the Moses Bridge
Moses Bridge is made of waterproof wood. Most of the the bridge is under water. When you cross the bridge to Moses, you can stretch out and touch the water. From almost every angle, Moses Bridge melts perfectly into the water. It seems that the people crossing the bridge are magically suspended in the water – just like Moses did when he parted the Red Sea.
For those who are afraid of walking over a bridge that always seems to be completely submerged, the engineering team who built the Moses Bridge say the bridge is completely safe. The Moses Bridge is surrounded by closely guarded dams that keep the water level stable. In the unlikely event that dams fail, there is a sophisticated network of pumps that can drain excess water before it becomes a problem.
If you’ve always dreamed of walking on water, the Moses Bridge is a surefire way to make your dream come true. Walking across the water in an old moat that once warded off hostile invaders, the Moses Bridge lends a little more mystery. An example of modern technology makes an old canal navigable without visually interrupting the landscape. Moses Bridge is avant-garde, functional and mysterious.
Go through deep water!
The Mozesbrug was built in a historic area in the southwest of the Netherlands as part of the conversion of historically important complexes into recreational areas.
The West Brabant waterline is a defense line consisting of a number of forts and cities with floodplains in the southwest of the Netherlands. It is from the 17th century, but fell out of use in the 19th century. When the waterline was finally restored, an access bridge over the moat to one of the forts, Fort de Roovere, was needed.
