The fort was built between 1886 and 1911. In 1886, work began on the earthworks, which were made defensible in 1895. The shell-proof buildings were completed in 1911. According to the military command structure at the time, the fort belonged to the Ouderkerk sector, De Nes group, Waver-Amstel section.
The fort is the only elevation in the open and flat polder landscape. Their task was to block and defend the entrances on the Veldweg and the flood gate east of the fort. The original interior fittings such as the kitchen, washrooms and toilets as well as the electrical installations from the early 20th century are well preserved.[1]
In 1920 the fort's staff consisted of 266 people. By 1924 the number was increased to 375, including five officers, 20 non-commissioned officers and 350 men.[2]
According to an armament list from 1910, the fort had four cannons with a caliber of 7 centimeters in the neck casemates,[3] each casemate had a cannon with a caliber of six centimeters and two machine guns for defense on the neck side.[3] In the tower buildings there was a fully rotating cannon with a caliber of six centimeters. Finally, there were six M'08 machine guns that could be placed in the prepared parapets at the front of the fort,[3] as well as a number of other machine guns.
The fort remained militarily relevant for 40 years and was disbanded as a fortress on October 28, 1951. The fort is in good condition and was partially restored in 2015. Many authentic details have been preserved inside, including the sanitary facilities. Both towers were destroyed during the Second World War by the German occupiers, who needed the steel for their own war industry.
Fort Waver-Amstel is now owned by the Vereniging Natuurmonumenten (Society for the Conservation of Nature) and houses a wine warehouse. It is located northeast of the fort at Uithoorn and southwest of the fort in Botshol. In 2016, the fortress was opened to the public for the first time on Open Monument Day.