The Netherlands
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In the port area of Vlissingen, the German occupying forces began constructing the Vlissingen Kernwerk from the end of 1942. A Kernwerk is a fortress within a fortress. Whenever the defences of Vlissingen were breached, the German occupying forces would be able to retreat to the Kernwerk. This was situated at the most strategic location in the city, namely the harbour area. A machine-gun bunker can still be found on the Klipperkade near the welding shed, although little remains of the many bunkers. Today, this is a fully fitted-out museum bunker managed by the Festung Walcheren Foundation.
Other bunkers from the Kernwerk can be found at the eastern mouth of the Buitenhaven in Vlissingen. To be precise, they are located at the Zeeland Safety Centre, a fire service training centre. These bunkers may only be visited with permission from this centre. They are the remains of the Kernwerk Vlissingen naval battery, consisting of an ammunition bunker and a gun bunker.
The gun bunker is the last casemate of this type in the Netherlands. This bunker has damage to the gun port, due to this section of the dyke being heavily bombed on several occasions by the British Royal Air Force.
There is also a bunker here with an armoured turret for two machine guns. It is the only bunker of this type in the Netherlands. There is also a bunker here for a machine grenade launcher. This is likewise the only bunker of this type still in existence in the Netherlands.
In 1939, two Dutch cast-steel machine-gun casemates were built here, one of which is a rare example. Today, it has been restored by the Bunker Preservation Foundation and is the only one of all the bunkers here that is open to the public.
Address
Tweede Binnenhavenweg, 4382 ZL Vlissingen, Nederland