Diogenes

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction

Concrete BUNKER from 1941-1943 for the German command centre "Grossraumgefechtsstand Diogenes 3 JD". From here, air defence throughout the Netherlands and the Ruhr region against enemy air bombardments was centrally coordinated. To this end, radar posts on the North Sea coast signalled data on the positions of bombers to the command centre, where these were processed into instructions for radio transmitter stations which in turn provided the German night fighters (in the air) with orders. These actions were visualized on a large frosted-glass screen with a partial map of Europe (12x9m). This screen was positioned in a large room in the heart of the command centre. Galleries on either side of the screen provided space on the one hand for the so-called "Luftnachrichtenhelferinnen" who projected the positions of the enemy bombers and their own fighters onto the map with small searchlights, and on the other hand for the so-called "Jägerleitoffizieren" who directed their own fighters towards the bombers. On the roof stood antennae for transmitter and receiver installations. German air defence had three such command centres: one in Stade near Hamburg, one in Metz and the present bunker in Schaarsbergen near Arnhem.

Command centre "Diogenes" is located in a wooded environment directly south of the former German military airfield Deelen near Schaarsbergen. The object is located on the north side of the Koningsweg, near the entrance of the national park "De Hoge Veluwe". The plot has been excavated for several metres at the location of the bunker. The floor of the ground storey is approximately 4 metres lower than ground level. The bunker was built on the orders of the occupier in the years 1941-1943. The necessary raw materials for the approximately 33,000 m3 of concrete of which the bunker is composed were brought in via a branch of the railway line Utrecht-Arnhem at Wolfheze (no longer present today). A few days before their withdrawal, the Germans unsuccessfully attempted to blow up this concrete colossus. Only the contents were completely destroyed. Since 1952 the bunker has been in use by the National Archive Service. To increase storage capacity, intermediate floors were constructed in the large central room in 1974.

Description

Large concrete BUNKER (lxbxh: approximately 61.5 x 39.5 x 23 metres including floor slab) of 4.5 storeys on a rectangular ground plan. The facades of this main form are closed. The flat roof has a rounded, somewhat protruding edge. The extended T-shaped entrance is positioned at storey level against the south facade (Koningsweg side). The entrances are located on the left and right sides of this extension. The left entrance is now sealed.

Against the east side of the bunker there is a lower outbuilding of three storeys with a flat roof running the full length. This building component with a depth of approximately 8 metres has a considerably lighter construction than the main building. The facades of the outbuilding have a fairly regular arrangement of window bays: large rectangular wall openings with inset steel frames; the window openings of the first and second storeys are now partially bricked up. The external walls have a broad base and taper at the level of the first storey. The spatial layout of the INTERIOR is still largely intact. In the middle of the building is a large rectangular room with a height of approximately 13.5 metres. The floor, walls and ceiling of this room vary in thickness from approximately 2.80 to 4.00 metres. Only one door provided access to this nerve centre. The shell surrounding this central room is divided into 4.5 storeys, with each storey having a circulation corridor with side rooms (including remains of six toilet groups) and staircases at the short sides (concrete straight stairs). On the long sides, the corridors adjoin the external walls. These massive external walls are approximately 3.5 metres thick. In the basement are heating rooms (original heating with coal stoves) and a room with the remains of a diesel generator for generating electricity. In the extended entrance is a broad staircase leading downwards. Only a few of the original steel (double) doors have been preserved.

Valuation

Concrete BUNKER "Diogenes" from 1941-1943.

- Of architectural historical value as a unique concrete bunker of its type, scale and weight in the Netherlands built on German orders. The object is an example of a defensive structure whose exterior is largely intact and recognizable, in which very heavy reinforced concrete structures have been employed. The original interior elements have been removed; the spatial layout is still largely intact and recognizable. Furthermore, the object is of importance because of its functional rarity: "Diogenes" is the only bunker of its kind in the Netherlands. In Western Europe the Germans built only a few of these bunkers.

- Of cultural historical value because of its purpose and appearance, which are connected to military history, in this case the history of the German air defence system with radar posts as it was built on the North Sea coast in the early war years. Within this air defence system, the bunker "Diogenes" as a command centre occupied a central place.