http://www.museumengelandvaarders.nl

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The southernmost ammunition bunker of the German coastal battery in Noordwijk was, after the war, repurposed as an art storage facility due to the perceived threat from the Soviet Union. When the Cold War ended, protected art storage was no longer necessary, and for ten years the bunker housed the Atlantikwall Museum Noordwijk (see also “An Underground Museum” – Atlantikwall Museum Noordwijk).In 2015, Museum Engelandvaarders took over the bunker. The stories of the Engelandvaarders are told primarily through images and sound, visitors can play a game, and there is a bookstore. Of the approximately 3,000 young men and women who set out on their journeys, 2,100 reached England, but many drowned or were captured and imprisoned by the German occupiers.From the beach at Katwijk, twelve known attempts were made to reach England. Thirty-five young men were involved, mostly using a two-person folding canoe. Only four of these twelve attempts succeeded, with eight men reaching England alive. On the Katwijk Boulevard, the impressive bronze sculpture “Freedom Forward” depicts two canoeists and an interactive information panel commemorates these brave Engelandvaarders (see also “Wijken voor de Wal – the demolition of the Katwijk boulevard”).

The Netherlands

Discover the extraordinary story of the Dutch men and women who travelled to England during the second World War to free the occupied Netherlands and join the fight against Nazi-Germany and Japan. They became known as Engelandvaarders: England Farers. Hundreds set sail for England in boats that were barely sea-worthy, or in some cases in canoes. Many drowned in the North Sea or were arrested, imprisoned or shot while preparing for their journey. Others ventured over land, through Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal or even Russia. Ultimately, around, 2000 Dutch made it to England, having survived horrendous journeys.

Once in England, The England Farers joined the British or Dutch armed forces, the merchant navy or worked for the government. A lot of England Farers also continued the fight against Japan in Australia. Of the 180 Dutch citizens that were sent from England to the Netherlands as secret agents, 108 were England Farers. Almost half of them became victims of the sinister spy game between the British and Germans and many died in the Mauthausen concentration camp.

The Museum uses advanced audio-visual technology. Young people are invited to interactively experience this story of people who were their age at the time. The museum aims to inspire them to make a choice that si always relevant in times of threat and tensions: to act against indifference and challenge wrongdoing. In the words of Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema: ‘Everyone experiences moments in life when you say to yourself, ‘This is not right’. And the you do something about it.’

The Museum has an extensive database and image library containing all information about the England Farers during the Second World War.

Museum Engelandvaarders is located in a bunker which is part of a bigger complex: The Atlantikwall. There is possibility to visit and get a guided tour through the underground corridors of the bunker complex of the Atlantikwall Museum. However opening times are different. For more information, see www.atlantikwall.nl

Museum Engelandvaarders

Bosweg 15, Noordwijk, Netherlands

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