10th Bunker Day 2025: 80 Years of Freedom
On Saturday, May 24, 2025, more than 100 bunkers along the Dutch coast will open their doors to the public for one day. In 2025, Bunkerdag marks a special moment: 80 years of liberation and the 10th edition of the event. In The Hague, too, Bunkerdag offers a unique opportunity to look inside bunkers that are normally inaccessible. These remarkable structures, partially buried under the sand or hidden in the greenery, are part of the Atlantic Wall, the defensive line that Nazi Germany constructed along the European west coast during the Second World War.
Practical
During Bunkerdag, you need a ticket in the form of a wristband, available only on the day itself at the participating locations. With this wristband, you can visit multiple locations, as long as you wear it visibly on your wrist. The price is €7,50 for adults, €4 for children aged 4 to 12, and free for children up to and including 3 years old and veterans (upon presentation of a Veterans Pass). Advance sales are not possible.
Bunker Day in The Hague
In The Hague, various bunkers that played an important role during the Second World War can be visited. Especially for this day, the Führer der Schnellboote & Radarpost Erika (Widerstandsnest 66 HM) are opening. In addition, both locations of the Atlantikwall Museum Den Haag are also open. At the Kijkduin location, approximately 130 meters of tunnel with six connected bunkers remains. In this part of the complex, which bore the name Widerstandsnest 67 HL, a Luftwaffe unit was stationed that was tasked with scanning the airspace for enemy aircraft, among other things. On the Badhuisweg in Scheveningen, the German occupiers built a command center in 1943 consisting of 13 bunkers. The Atlantikwall Museum Den Haag Foundation has made the command bunker, a troop bunker, and a toilet bunker accessible again and furnished them.
National Monument Oranjehotel
The National Monument Oranjehotel is also open during Bunker Day. The Oranjehotel is the nickname for the Scheveningen prison during World War II. The complex consists of approximately 120 cells. The heart of the memorial center is Cel 601, a cell that has been preserved in its entirely authentic state. During the Second World War, the Oranjehotel functioned as a political prison. Opponents of the Nazi regime were imprisoned, interrogated, and sentenced here. But political imprisonment is of all times and places. In the exhibition 'Freedom under pressure. Political prisoners, then and nowThe museum gives an impression of a number of political prisons around the world. The exhibition has been specially curated in the context of 80 years of liberation. For a more comprehensive overview of the bunkers to visit and activities, please visit the Bunkerdag website.
Historian Bas von Benda-Beckmann discovered that about 25.000 people were imprisoned there during World War II, including hundreds of children alongside resistance fighters. He wrote a book about the Oranjehotel, which was opened as a memorial center by King Willem-Alexander on September 6, 2019. The museum features a permanent exhibition telling the stories of people who were incarcerated there. Cell 601, one of the death cells, can still be seen in its original state. In other cells, short films are shown in which former prisoners tell their deeply moving stories. In the future, the annual commemoration will take place in the open space within the prison walls.
Rudolph Cleveringa (1894–1980) was a professor of law in Leiden. In November 1940, he delivered a famous speech in which he defended Jewish colleagues who had been dismissed by the German occupiers. He was imprisoned in Scheveningen until mid-1941. In 1944, he became a hostage in Camp Vught. After the war, he became a professor again and a member of the Council of State.
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On November 26, 1940, Professor Rudolph Cleveringa, Dean of the Faculty of Law, delivered a fiery speech in the Academy Building to protest the dismissal of the Jewish employees, including the jurist. Eduard Meijers, the later founder of the new Civil Code. The students also went on strike. The university was subsequently closed by the occupying forces. It reopened in September 1945. To commemorate the speech, the university appoints a Cleveringa Professor every year. The Leiden University Fund (LUF) organizes the annual Cleveringa Lectures.
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Cleveringa means a great deal not only to Leiden University. Frans Hemelop (a retired tax official, stamp collector, and amateur designer) previously designed a stamp featuring Cleveringa to honor his courage. That was in 2010, when it was 70 years since Rudolph Cleveringa delivered his speech. In the summer of 2015, Hemelop received another order for that five-year-old stamp. This prompted him to take action: the thought had already crossed his mind that the 75th anniversary deserved a stamp as well. In this design, Hemelop also included Ton Barge and Lambertus van Holk: they too publicly criticized the German occupiers.
Simon Vestdijk (1898 – 1971) was a Dutch novelist, poet, essayist, translator, physician, and music critic. From May 1942, he was a hostage in a camp in Sint-Michielsgestel, Brabant, where many intellectuals and prominent figures had been gathered by the Germans. He was transferred to Scheveningen in early 1943. He incorporated his experiences there into his book Pastorale 1943, which was also adapted into a film. After a month, he returned to Sint-Michielsgestel.
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Titus Brandsma (1881 – 1942) was a Dutch Carmelite friar, professor, and publicist from Friesland. Brandsma was a specialist in medieval mysticism and a mystic himself. As a deeply socially engaged priest, he took initiatives in the fields of Catholic emancipation, Catholic education, and journalism. Brandsma opposed Nazism.
In 1942, during the Second World War, he was arrested by the German occupiers and detained in Scheveningen. Via Camp Amersfoort, he ended up in the Dachau concentration camp, where he died in 1942. In 1985, he was beatified as a martyr by Pope John Paul II.
George John Lionel Maduro (1916 – 1945) was a Dutch student at Leiden University (Law), who distinguished himself as an officer of the Dutch cavalry during the May Days of 1940 in the Battle of The Hague. After the capitulation, he joined the resistance. He was an Antillean-Jewish resistance hero. He fought against the Germans in May 1940. He was detained as a prisoner of war in Scheveningen, where he was held for six months. He attempted to escape to England via Spain and Portugal but was betrayed. He was arrested again and deported to Dachau, where he died.
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On May 9, 1946, Maduro was posthumously awarded the Knight 4th Class of the Order of the Netherlands. Military Order of William awarded because he distinguished himself during the May Days with a personally led attack on a German position at Villa Leeuwenbergh (now Buitengoed Dorrepaal) in Leidschendam. He is the only Dutchman of Antillean descent to have received this distinction. In 2016, the accompanying insignia were presented to his family.
The miniature city Madurodam It is named after him. It is also a monument to George. His parents donated the initial capital for the project. Madurodam was opened on July 2, 1952, by Princess Beatrix. Madurodam was conceived by Bep Boon-van der Starp. The British miniature town of Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield served as a model. In Madurodam in The Hague, the most important Dutch landscapes and notable buildings have been recreated on a scale of 1:25.
Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema (1917-2007) was nicknamed Soldier of OrangeHe studied Law at Leiden University, lived at Rapenburg 56 (Royal House 'Welgelegen'), and was a member of the student association 'Minerva'. He was also involved in the resistance at Leiden University. He was imprisoned in Scheveningen for a week in April 1941. He subsequently went into hiding and became a 'Engelandvaarder' (someone who escaped to England). He received pilot training with the Royal Air Force. He wrote the book *Soldaat van* about his experiences. Orange, which has been made into a film and has been a successful musical for many years (lasting longer than WWII).
What is the Atlantic Wall?
During the Second World War, Nazi Germany built a defensive line along the Western European coast to prevent an attack by the Allies. This so-called Atlantic Wall stretched all the way from Norway to the border with Spain, covering a length of approximately 5000 kilometers. It connects tens of thousands of bunker complexes and other defensive structures. In the Netherlands, too, hundreds of bunkers, anti-tank walls, and trenches were constructed at strategic locations along the coast. This had major consequences: many residents were forced to leave their homes to make way for the construction of these fortifications. During the German occupation, the European coast was transformed into a fortress, the traces of which are visible to this day.
Bunker Day activities dedicated to 80 years of freedom
During this tenth edition of Bunkerdag, the liberation of the Netherlands, exactly eighty years ago, takes center stage. The importance of freedom then and now receives ample attention, as do the far-reaching consequences brought about by the construction of the Atlantic Wall. In addition to bunker tours throughout the country, there are various activities for young and old. Visitors have the opportunity to enter bunkers that normally remain closed. Guided tours and walks bring history to life and provide context regarding the role of the bunkers and their impact on the surrounding area. Actors in uniform demonstrate what daily life was like during the war, while historic military vehicles add to the atmosphere. Furthermore, there are exhibitions commemorating 80 years of liberation and film screenings featuring original footage from wartime. Special scavenger hunts and activity booklets have been developed for children.
Nice article, Randy!