The bunkers in the Wadden area are part of the Atlantic Wall: the more than 6,000-kilometre long German defence line from Norway to Spain. Thousands of homes were destroyed along the west coast of the European continent to make room for bunkers and batteries. The Atlantic Wall also changed the landscape of the Wadden islands and the Wadden coast. You can now experience the story behind this fascinating piece of WWII military heritage.
Discover the Atlantic Wall in the Wadden area, on this website, or at one of the ten locations.
Discover the story behind the WWII military heritage by visiting one of the visitors centres or museums.
Texel was a strong support point in the Atlantic Wall for the German occupiers with more than 500 buildings, including 3 coastal batteries and 2 anti-aircraft batteries, on the island.
Meer over Aviation and war museum Texel
There is a complete bunker fort in the dunes on Vlieland. These bunkers were a well-kept secret for many years. In 1951, they were buried in the sand.
Meer over Stelling 12H
The Tigerstelling on Terschelling was a large bunker complex and part of the Atlantic Wall in the Wadden area. Command bunker ‘Bertha’ was the heart.
Meer over Tigerstellung
On the western side of Ameland in particular, the bunkers disappeared under the sand. The kitchen bunker for the battery that was stationed here now houses the bunker museum.
Meer over Bunker museum Ameland
A village of bunkers was built on Schiermonnikoog as part of the Atlantic Wall: Schlei. The island residents called the fortification Schleidorp (Schlei village).
Meer over Bunker museum Schlei
Starting at the visitor centre Termunten, you can walk along several routes with visible and less-visible remains of the Atlantic Wall.
Meer over Marine flak
The Noarderleech was a German army practice location. It was built manually, without machines, in 1940 by about 100 men and given the name SF10 Marrum.
Meer over Noarderleech
Two strong defence lines were constructed during construction of the Afsluitdijk. In May 1940, the German Blitzkrieg came to a halt in Kornwerderzand.
Meer over Kornwerderzand kazematten museum
The Afsluitdijk was completed in 1932. A fast connection between Friesland and Holland also meant fast access for enemies. This is why the Afsluitdijk got casemates.
Meer over Stelling van den oever
Den Helder suffered badly during WWll. Both the harbour and nearby airport were used by the German navy.
Meer over Huisduinen Atlantikwall expedition center
In March 2021, many residents and businesses in the Wadden area received one of the 250,000 copies of a special, single-edition Atlantic Wall magazine. Read the magazine here.
The Atlantic Wall was not just a physical defence line; it was also a propaganda instrument.
During WWII, the Wadden area was truly part of the front line. Read about this nearly-forgotten history here.
Many allied bombers flew over the Wadden area on their way to Germany, which led to heavy fighting in the skies above the area.
The liberation of the Wadden area was chaotic and did not occur simultaneously with the rest of the Netherlands.
Quite a bit of the Atlantic Wall remained intact in the Wadden area. What happened to all the heritage after 1945?Quite a bit of the Atlantic Wall remained intact in the Wadden area. What happened to all the heritage after 1945?
Nowhere in the Netherlands were the residents and the occupiers living so close to each other as on the Wadden islands. Everyone tried to 'keep the peace' as best they could, but it was not always possible.
Standard construction designs were used to build the Atlantic Wall. Read about the designs used in the Wadden area and which ones can still be found there.
There are remains of German bunkers from WWll all over the Wadden area. This heritage tells a story that is being made accessible in more and more locations. Bunkers are being excavated, visitors centres provide information and expositions show how WWII impacted the Wadden area. So much to see.
The Atlantic Wall was not just a physical defence line; it was also a propaganda instrument. This is one of the stories told in the Atlantic Wall Centre in Den Helder.
Dollard Visitors Centre shows you how the Groningen border area was a battleground throughout the centuries. Also during WWll.
The Casemates Museum was completely updated in 2019 to keep, among others, the story of the Afsluitdijk in the May days of 1940 alive.
Approximately 40 Georgians attended the opening of the modernised War and Aviation Museum on Texel. The museum now has an entire room dedicated to the Atlantic Wall with 30 models of the various types of bunkers.
Mark the day in your calendar. The bunker day 2020 on 6 June!
The Wadden area will also be commemorating 75 years of freedom. Check the calendar.
The bloody uprising of a Georgian battalion in April 1945 left many traces and memories on Texel.
5 Liberation Routes are being created for the Wadden area. These routes are part of a European network of memorial routes connecting milestones from modern European history.
