Fort Amsterdam in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

Fort Amsterdam in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

For fort enthusiasts, Fort Amsterdam—just a short walk from Philipsburg—may not stand out at first sight. Throughout its history, it deteriorated more often than it was maintained, receiving only occasional repairs from whichever power occupied it at the time. Nowadays, only its bastions remain; the cannons you see are later additions from the nineteenth century. Yet this modest fort is famous for one thing: a series of dramatic sieges that reve…