Bomvrij militair object, Tussenstelling Nieuwe Zuider Lingedijk Spijk (West Betuwe 25)

English translation

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Description

Cluster 71.

NEW HOLLANDIC WATERLINE

Introduction

Two SPLINTER-PROOF SHELTERS TYPE 1916 / II, as concrete shelters built along the Nieuwe Zuiderlingedijk for the defence of this inundation-resistant dike. Behind the dike, initially only a few open, earthen batteries were set up. From the turn of the century, one or more concrete battery shelters were constructed and subsequently also some Splinter-Proof Shelters Type 1916 II. Shelters type 1916 / II were built according to more or less uniform or standard design in 1916 and 1917 in several places in the Nieuwe Hollandic Waterline (among others at Fort Vuren, Fort Rijnauwen and the Battery below Brakel). Such concrete shelters were usually also located in the vicinity of earthen gun emplacements and trenches. The closed front or front side of the shelters was usually covered by earthworks which formed part of a dike, a glacis for the protection of the trench or a covered way. The earthworks are often no longer present or only barely recognisable, while the traces of the earthen batteries have also mostly been largely obliterated. The earthworks of the batteries on the Nieuwe Zuiderlingedijk, however, are still fairly clearly recognisable. The entrances were later usually sealed by means of masonry or concrete, but in a few cases they are still open or have been reopened. The type 1916 / II represents exceptional values by reason of rarity.

Description

The two SPLINTER-PROOF SHELTERS TYPE 1916 / II are single-storey, splinter-proof, military shelters constructed in reinforced concrete, which could provide shelter for 8 infantrymen / artillerymen. The two splinter-proof shelters type 1916 / II, which are respectively located at approximately 200 m from the north-eastern end (at the Graswalseweg at Asperen) and at 750 m from the south-western end of the Nieuwe Zuiderlingedijk (slightly east of the Kerkweg), lie partly in the northern dike slope, but they are clearly recognisable. The shelters 1916 / II were built on a rectangular ground plan of approximately 6.50 x 1.50 x 1.90 m (w x d x h). The shelters were built according to an approximately seven-sided cylindrical model, which was intended to promote deflection of splinters. The long facades, the roof and the outside of the floor therefore show a blunt bend over the full length. The two blind gable ends are executed vertically. The shelters Type 1916 / II were constructed as monolithic concrete works and were accessible via two access openings, left and right, on the trench side - the throat side. These entrances, situated a few tens of centimetres above ground level, are surrounded by vertical, rectangular reinforced concrete frames. The shelters of this type were closeable by means of iron shutters, which are no longer present. The shelters have been (partly) reopened. The interior consists of one undivided space, which internally reflects the seven-sided casting form.

Valuation

The two SPLINTER-PROOF SHELTERS TYPE 1916 / II in the Intermediate Line Nieuwe Zuiderlingedijk are of general importance for the following reasons:

* Cultural-historical values as part of the Nieuwe Hollandic Waterline as designed by C.R.T. Kraijenhoff and initially realised from 1815 by him, Jan Blanken and major-engineer Willem Offerhaus and subsequently strengthened and improved by others over approximately 125 years.

* Architectural-historical values in particular as an expression of military-strategic construction, which is based on: a. the system of inundation and accesses (19th century), b. the race with increasingly strengthened offensive means (19th and 20th century), c. the system of 'living' field fortification (20th century).

These are components from around 1916, namely examples of concrete enlisted men's shelters.

* Ensemble value and situational values as components of the Nieuwe Hollandic Waterline. Also by reason of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex.

* The components are representative (characteristic) because they are clearly recognisable as elements of a deconcentrated defence added to the existing fortification system.

* The components are fairly rare because they are scarce surviving examples of military, serial manufacture of this type of defensive means.

* The components are fairly well preserved because they remain clearly recognisable as built components in the field.