Fort Orange (Dutch: ''Fort Oranje'') is a military

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

Kralendijk Kralendijk () is the capital city and main port of the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but Dutch and English are widely used. , the town had a population of 10,620. In Papiamentu, ...

, Bonaire. Originally built in 1639 as a nameless fort by the Dutch West India Company, it is the oldest structure on the island of Bonaire. The fort has never been used for its intended purpose. In 1816, it was rebuilt and named Fort Orange. The current lighthouse was built in 1932.

History

Fort Orange was built in 1639 after the island of Bonaire was conquered by the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The fort has four metre high walls with four canons. The original fort was open on the land side. In 1800, Bonaire was ignored by the British. In 1804, Bonaire was taken by the British who had landed their troops out of sight, and captured the fort without a fight from the open land side. The canons which are currently in the fort date from the British period. In 1816, Bonaire was returned to the Netherlands. The fort was reconstructed and named Fort Orange. The fort remained the headquarters of the Commander of Bonaire until 1837. The original wooden lighthouse was replaced by a stone lighthouse in 1932. During the 20th century, the building has been used for multiple purposes: prison, fire department, police department, museum. Until 2011, it was in use by the Public Prosecution Service. Since 2011, it is used by the harbour authority and the waste management company. The ownership of the fort was transferred from the Dutch Government to the Island Council in 1974.

References

{{Authority control Architecture in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in Kralendijk Forts in Bonaire History of Bonaire Lighthouses completed in 1932 Lighthouses in Bonaire Monuments of Bonaire