Ravelin (Ravelijn)

The Ravelijn of Rees is located in the StadPark of Rees , unfortunately nothing can be seen of it anymore, it is completely gone for unknown reasons.

.....but what is a Ravelin (Ravelijn) ?

A ravelin is a triangular fortification or freestanding outwork, located in front of the inner works of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a demi-lune, after the lunette, the ravelijn is placed outside a castle and opposite a fortress curtain. The ravelin is the oldest and at the same time the most important outwork of the bastion fortification system. It originated from small forts that had to cover the bridge that led over the moat to the city or the gate of the fortress in case of a direct attack. From this original function, to protect the gate bridge, also comes the original Italian name "Rivellino" (meaning small bankwork or with the German expression common for it: Brückenkopf).

Therefore, the Ravelin was initially only a small structure, which should only make access to the bridge in front of the fortress gates more difficult. When it was realized in the 16th century that this would generally provide better protection for the curtain, ravelins were also built for other curtains and these were gradually enlarged. However, it was not until the German fortress builder Daniel Specklin (1536-1589) that the fundamental importance of ravelins (which he still called "ledige Wehr" or "revelin") was recognized. He demanded that they be made as large as possible, so that they would completely cover the court and the flanks of the bastions and could place a flanking fire for the bastion tops. In the period that followed, ravelins can be found in almost all fortresses that were built according to the bastion fortification system.

The outer edges of the ravelin are shaped to divide an attacking force, and cannons within the ravelin can fire on the attacking troops as they approach the curtain. It also prevents besiegers from using their artillery to breach the curtain wall. The side of the ravelin facing the inner fortifications has at best a low wall, if any, so as not to protect attacking troops once they have overwhelmed them or abandoned the defenders. Ravelins often have a ramp or staircase on the side of the curtain wall to facilitate the movement of troops and artillery within the ravelin.

The first example of a ravelin appears in the fortifications of the Italian town of Sarzanello, and dates from 1497. The first ravelins were built of brick, but later, in the sixteenth century in the Netherlands, they were made of earth (perhaps covered with stone or brick), the better to absorb the impact of cannonballs. The Italian origins of the system of fortifications (the star forts) of which ravelins were a part, gave rise to the term trace Italienne.

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