Landsfort Herle

Landsfort Herle was a fortification with a moat in the centre of Heerlen, Netherlands (roughly the current Pancratiusplein). It was probably built by the counts of Ahr-Hochstaden (also referred to as Heren van Are) The name Landsfort (‘fort of the land’) was introduced in the 19th century, based on the fact that the fortification falls under the responsibility of the land. The fort can more accurately be classified as a so called fortress church (German: Kirchenburg); a (fortified) church surrounded by a curtain wall. Landsfort Herle appears to be the only Kirchenburg in the Netherlands (not to be confused with Wehrkirchen or fortified churches, which are more numerous, but lack the curtain wall). In the 13th century Heerlen and landsfort Herle, came into the possession of the Dukes of Brabant. The Landsfort was (re)built by the Dukes of Brabant in 1244.

The curtain wall is believed to be one of the oldest still recognisable in the Netherlands, part of it has been excavated.

A model of the fort was constructed based on a map from 1787, which was found during extensive restorations to the Pancratiuskerk in the 1960s. The fort had three gates and two towers; the belfry of the church and the Schelmentoren, both with 2 metre thick walls.

Small rooms were built into the rafters of the church, to provide shelter for the inhabitants of Heerlen during hostilities. Unfortunately these rooms were destroyed when a supposedly German bomb strucik the church on New Year's Eve 1944/1945.