#Fortification
Art bunker
In the dunes near Castricum lies a remarkable wartime site. In April 1940, the municipality of Amsterdam built a bunker here to protect artworks from museums. Among other pieces, Rembrandt’s Night Watch was stored here during the Second World War.
With the looming threat of war, museum curator Willem Sandberg initiated the construction of a vault in the dunes in 1939 to safeguard valuable art. In densely populated Amsterdam, art treasures were particularly at risk.
The bunker was completed in April 1940 and had walls 1.5 meters thick. It was used by institutions including the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Frans Hals Museum, and the Rijksmuseum. The Night Watch was temporarily stored here before being moved to a larger vault in the dunes near Heemskerk.
During the German occupation, the authorities were aware of the existence of these art bunkers but left their contents untouched. Sandberg wrote in his memoirs: “They probably thought the paintings could not be stored more safely anywhere else. They were so convinced of victory that they assumed they could collect the treasures at a later time.”
In 1942, the Castricum art bunker was evacuated because it was located within the area designated for the construction of the Atlantikwall. The artworks were moved to other storage locations, such as the vault in the Sint Pietersberg. The bunker was later repurposed as bicycle storage and, for a time, as living quarters for soldiers.
Today, the Eye Filmmuseum uses the bunker to store fragile nitrate films.