The history of Fort Wonderboompoort in Pretoria

Tucked away in Pretoria, South Africa, lies Fort Wonderboompoort. It formed part of the Pretoria Forts, which the South African Republic's (ZAR) administration constructed prior to the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War.

In 1896, a defense plan for Pretoria was drawn up by a former French artillery officer, Léon Grunberg. The plan recommended that eight strategic positions around the city should be fortified by means of armoured turrets. However, the armoured turrets were found to be unacceptable, and the plan of two German engineers, Otto Albert Adolph von Dewitz and Heinrich C Werner to build forts instead, was accepted. Due to a lack of money, only four forts were eventually built.

Fort Schanskop, Fort Wonderboompoort and Fort Klapperkop were designed by Von Dewitz and Werner of the German engineering company Krupp, assisted by architect Christiaan Kuntz and building contractor Celso Giri. These forts are pentagonal reinforced, with more fire range possibilities through numerous facets. Attacks from any direction could be warded off by revolving guns on their ramparts.

German and Dutch experts were consulted to address technical aspects such as the electrical connections between forts. Fort Wonderboompoort was completed in September 1897 by Von Dewitz and Werner for a total cost of GBP £49,000. Like other forts in the series, it was supplied with electricity, a telephone and running water.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons