#Museum
An underground museum
In the dunes near Noordwijk, a roof rises above the sand, and a few meters below you can see a door nestled in the vegetation that sparks curiosity. These are the only visible elements of a large underground bunker complex: the Atlantikwall Museum Noordwijk. The entrance leads through a corridor to the so-called Leitstand type S414, at the time a fire control post containing 1,800 cubic meters of concrete. A modern cement truck would need to make 180 trips to deliver that amount.
This enormous bunker once served as the nerve center of the Marine Seeziel Batterie Noordwijk. Here, command was exercised over this coastal battery, and firing direction and distance were calculated for the gunners operating the artillery.
The bunker had observation posts on three levels for good visibility over the sea. The highest level once featured a rare glass observation dome during the war, which was removed after liberation. In 2015, a steel roof was installed in its place, transported by a Chinook helicopter from the Ministry of Defense due to the difficult access.
On either side of the fire control post stood two concrete gun bunkers, each housing cannons with a caliber of 15.5 cm. Each bunker contained rooms for ammunition storage, and accommodations for the personnel were built adjacent to them.
Additionally, the battery included two separate large ammunition bunkers. All of these structures had two-meter-thick roofs and reinforced concrete walls, and they were connected via an underground tunnel system. The main corridor was equipped with a narrow-gauge track over which hand-pushed trolleys transported ammunition and other supplies.
Beside the central part of the artillery battery, there were also brick storage bunkers, a kitchen building, and a wooden shower barrack. In total, more than 80 structures were built during the war to house the 180 soldiers stationed there. The most striking of these is the concrete swimming pool, built specifically for the personnel of the coastal battery to relax. There was no public pool nearby, and from 1942 the entire beach had been declared a Sperrgebiet. The many obstacles and minefields made swimming impossible.
After the war, the pool remained in use for many years, and many residents of Noordwijk took their first swimming lessons there. The bunkers also became a popular playground for local children. In the 1970s, they were bricked up and covered with sand.
Since the opening of the Atlantikwall Museum Noordwijk in 2004, more parts of the complex have been uncovered each year to show to the public. The tunnel system and bunkers can be visited under the guidance of a museum guide.