Portrait of Menno Baron van Coehoorn (1641-1704). General in the Artillery and Fortifications Engineer

Menno van Coehoorn, copy after Caspar Netscher. After the disasters of 1672 more attention was paid to the nation's defences. Baron Menno van Coehoorn (1641-1702) enjoyed an international reputation as an expert on fortifications. He received an academic education in mathematics and fortifications, then a subject taught at universities. In the late 17th century Menno van Coehoorn began work on a defensive line designed to keep the enemy in check the Republic's frontiers.