More than 50 participants from 10 countries gathered in the fortified town of Naarden at the initiative of Stichting Monumentenbezit, including representatives from the International Fortress Council, the Fortress Study Group, the German Society for Fortress Research, the New Holland Foundation, EFFORTS and FORTE CULTURA, or the Associacion Vauban. The guest of honour was Hyunuk Park from the Gyeonggi Cultural Heritage Institute, Korea.

Fascinating specialist presentations on fortified heritage, combined with excursions in the unique fortress town of Naarden and lively discussions among the participants, characterised the programme of the two-day event. The numerous speakers presented the vast spectrum of fortification construction on a global scale and fuelled the desire to look beyond Europe’s borders and forge new partnerships.

With the support of the Fortress Study Group, a conference proceedings volume is being compiled to summarise the excellent specialist contributions. We would like to thank Stichting Monumentenbezit, and in particular Jeroen van der Werf, for the organisation and their wonderful hospitality.