[from PostNL press material] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Dutch Waterlines

Issue date: March 30, 2026Item number: 860029
Designer: Bart de Haas, Den Haag
Photographers: Bart de Haas, Martin van Lokven, Kenneth Stamp, Kim Sterenborg, A.J. van der Wal
Floorplans: Bart de Haas, Johan van der Zwart
Topographic Maps: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

On March 30, 2026, PostNL will issue the Dutch Waterlines stamp sheet, featuring photos and maps of 19th- and early 20th-century defensive works in the Netherlands. The Dutch Waterlines is the collective name for the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie and the Stelling van Amsterdam. By flooding land during wartime, these defensive lines were able to protect the west of the Netherlands against the enemy. The Dutch Waterlines stamps bear the value indication 1 for mail weighing up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The design of the stamps was created by graphic designer Bart de Haas from The Hague. The price for a sheet of 10 stamps is €14 (current US$16.28).

In addition to the official issuance program, PostNL has an annual issuance program for framed stamps (“kaderpostzegels”). This program is flexible. Each issue is designed based on a fixed layout, with a fixed number of framed stamps. The stamps are available, while stocks last, exclusively via the webshop and from Collect Club customer service at telephone number 088 – 868 99 00.

The Subject
The New Dutch Water Line and the Amsterdam Defence Line together form the Dutch Water Lines. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a 200-kilometer-long defensive line comprising 96 forts, 6 fortresses, and 2 castles. In wartime situations, the west of the Netherlands could be protected against the enemy by flooding wide strips of land up to knee height. This rendered the land impassable for soldiers, vehicles, or horses, while the water remained too shallow for boats.

Construction of the New Dutch Water Line began in 1815 as an improvement and expansion of the 17th-century Old Dutch Water Line. A new construction phase followed in 1880 with the creation of the Amsterdam Defence Line. Should the enemy break through the New Dutch Water Line, the Amsterdam Defence Line would serve as the last refuge for the military staff, the government, and the royal family. In addition to the system of sluices, dikes, and canals to flood land, forts were built at passages and other strategic locations. The New Dutch Water Line and the Amsterdam Defence Line are among the largest military World Heritage Sites in the world, along with the Roman Limes and the Great Wall of China. The New Dutch Water Line was flooded, either wholly or partially, three times due to threats of war: in 1870 (Franco-Prussian War), in 1914–1918 (World War I), and in 1939–1940 (in the run-up to World War II). The Amsterdam Defence Line never saw active service.

There are 96 forts that are part of the Dutch Water Lines. De Haas has depicted 10 of them on the stamps, based on three criteria: the construction period, the type of defensive structure, and the geographical location.

“Last November and December, I went on five bike rides to view and photograph the forts myself,” de Haas said. Some of the forts were not open in the winter, so instead he used existing photographs. “Cropped sections of all the photos were used, and the photo itself was sometimes edited to emphasize the characteristics of the structure,” he added, “and also to provide a bit more variety, with, for example, sunny shots juxtaposed with dramatic cloudy skies.”

The individual stamps measure 30 x 40 mm, the sheet 170 x 122 mm.

Note: PostNL does not sell directly to collectors in North America. Its website refers to a company called Nordfirm, which says it sells Dutch new issues at face value. The Virtual Stamp Club has no connection to this company.

Collectors may also wish to contact the U.S. firm Bombay Stamps, which can also obtain first day covers upon request, with lower shipping fees. The email is sales@bombaystamps.com Again, The Virtual Stamp Club has no connection to this company.