The Fort Sint-Paulus – a square earthen fort with bastions on the corners and surrounded by a moat and glacis – was built by the Spaniards in 1627 to defend the Zwin estuary. The fortification formed the end of the line constructed by De Fontaine to protect the Brugse Vrije. In 1703, during the War of the Spanish Succession, the States used the fort for defence again and in 1748 it still accommodated a garrison. In 1783, the Austrian troops occupied this fort from Bruges and started its demolition through levelling. The now private property is on Spaanselaan in Knokke, owned by an art lover. The moat has been partly integrated as a water feature in the garden, where there is a ‘playhouse’ by Niki de Saint-Phalle.
