Landfront of Festung Ijmuiden

Festung IJmuiden, with its coastal front and coastal batteries, was surrounded by a completely closed cordon, known as the Landfront. This cordon consisted of a series of defensive works, tank barriers, and minefields. The Landfront impeded any Allied land attack and gave the German forces within the fortress the opportunity to repel such an attack.

The southern Landfront of Festung IJmuiden remains almost entirely intact. Most of the defensive works are located in nature reserves managed by Natuurmonumenten and are not freely accessible.

Within the dune area along the Rondweg, several obstacles are still clearly visible, including an anti-tank wall—a tall wall designed to block the passage of tanks. Next to the wall, extensive stretches of dragon’s teeth (in German, Höckerhindernisse) can be found.

Directly behind these obstacles, German anti-tank guns were positioned covertly in the dunes. Once an Allied tank became stranded on an obstacle, it became an easy target for the anti-tank guns. In some cases, the turrets of old, decommissioned tanks were used. Mounted on concrete bunkers, these remained effective in the Atlantic Wall. To prevent infantry from easily crossing the barriers, barbed wire was installed. From concealed positions in the dunes, dozens of machine guns could cover the barbed wire.

To control access in and out of the fortress, checkpoints were built on main roads. One of these, a Walzkörpersperre, still remains in the dune area. Along with the remaining one in Zandvoort, it is one of the only surviving access points of its kind in Europe. Unique, but unfortunately not freely accessible. Excursions can be arranged through Natuurmonumenten.

The southern Landfront of the Festung stretched from the coast to the canal. Properties such as the Missiehuis (in Driehuis) and the estates Beeckestijn, Waterland, and Velserbeek were part of this defensive line.