Atlantic Wall Open Air Museum

Atlantic Wall Open Air Museum

Openluchtmuseum Atlantikwall
Preserved Observation Post at the Museum.
Location within Belgium
Location	Raversijde, West Flanders, Belgium
Coordinates	51°12′04″N 2°50′47″E / 51.200989°N 2.846373°E
Type	Military Museum
Owner	Domein Raversijde
Nearest car park	On site
Website	www.west-vlaanderen.be

The Atlantic Wall Open Air Museum (Dutch: Openluchtmuseum Atlantikwall) is a military museum near Oostende in Belgium which preserves fortifications of the Atlantic Wall dating to the First and Second World Wars. The section of fortifications owned by the museum - over 60 bunkers and two miles of trenches - is among the best preserved sections of the defensive line in Europe. The fortifications survive because they were built on land belonging to Prince Charles, Count of Flanders who decided that they should not be destroyed after the war, but be kept as a national monument.

The Museum

First World War

During the German Occupation during the First World War, the Aachen Battery was built in the land which is part of the museum. Though it is not as well preserved as the later fortifications in the museum, it is rare for fortifications of this period to survive in Belgium.

Second World War

The majority of the preserved bunkers and trenches at the site date to the construction of the Atlantic Wall during the German occupation of Belgium during the Second World War. During the war, numerous fortifications were constructed on the site, including the well preserved Saltzwedel neu Battery to defend the nearby port of Oostende from allied invasion. Several of the fortifications have been renovated to the condition they were in during the war and include several displays of uniforms and equipment worn by the garrison.

Gallery

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  Display of First World War German equipment and uniforms in one of the shelters in the Aachen Battery

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  A captured Belgian Army 120 mm gun used as a battery gun in a dedicated circular parapet.

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  PAK 40 anti-tank gun inside a restored bunker

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  Mounted rangefinder.

External links

• "Domein Raversijde "The open-air museum Atlantic Wall"". tracesofwar.com. Retrieved 13 December 2012.