Bomvrij militair object, te Utrecht

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

Cluster 45. Group Shelters Type P.

NEW HOLLANDIC WATERLINE

Introduction

TWO GROUP SHELTERS TYPE P (INCOMPLETE) on Lunette II as 20th-century, serially constructed (intended) additions to the existing fortification. The two incomplete group shelters within the Lunette II complex lie not far from each other on the northern half of the work. Such works formed part of the modernisation of the fortification through so-called 'living field fortification', which typically had a dispersed character. Group Shelters Type P were constructed according to a more or less uniform or standard design in the years 1939-1940 in multiple locations in the Netherlands. The total number of built examples amounts to approximately 700, of which approximately 570 are in the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie; the majority (ca. 400) of these still exist. The construction programme for Group Shelters Type P was not completed at the outbreak of the Second World War and a number of examples are known never to have been completed. Type P (also known as 'the pyramid' due to its striking form) is presumed to be the most well-known type of concrete fortification work in the Netherlands. The type derived from the so-called VIS 77 (Regulation for Arranging Positions no. 77), from 1928, and served among other purposes to form part of the fortification of a number of existing and new accesses, including in particular (motorways and (electrified or to-be-electrified) railways. The Group Shelter Type P usually came into being in the immediate vicinity of already existing or contemporaneously constructed casemates, gun emplacements, fortifications or trenches. Because the trenches and other (earthen) works were later levelled or demolished almost everywhere, the concrete shelters today often lie partly below ground level. The historically entirely closed front or facade of the Group Shelters Type P was in many cases covered by earthworks that could form part of a glacis protecting the trench or a covered way. These earthworks are now mostly no longer present or only recognisable with difficulty, but particularly on forts or in otherwise uneven terrain they are sometimes still present. Various variants of Type P exist, both in terms of dimensions and protection class as well as in construction and detailing. Thus examples have been built in protection classes W 15-21 and W 21-28 with dimensions ranging from approximately 5.50 x 7.20 x 4.70 m to 6.50 x 8.20 x 4.90 m (w x d x h). Numerous examples of Type P have been built in inundatable areas, whereby in a number of cases a visible pile foundation has been used, while often a retaining wall and occasionally a trough with steps to contain inundation water has been incorporated in the then elevated, square access and in yet others a projecting concrete foundation slab is present all around. Incomplete examples may be in various interrupted stages of their construction. The two examples on Lunette II comprise a foundation and part of the superstructure, but they remain open at the top and offer a good view of the floor plan and (the weight of) the construction.

Description

The TWO GROUP SHELTERS TYPE P (INCOMPLETE) on Lunette II lie on the northern half of the work, behind the rampart. They comprise a foundation and the beginning of the superstructure, up to and including the square-formed access. A roof is entirely absent, whereby the floor plan is clearly visible and the works possess particular added value. The Group Shelters Type P are constructed on a rectangular ground plan of approximately 5.50 x 7.20 x 4.70 m (w x d x h). The recognisable floor plan of the Group Shelters Type P consists of a short corridor and a 'sluice' directed leftwards from there which was to be lockable by means of a heavy steel door (consisting of multiple parts) with bolts. Via a second, comparable door a rear, almost square space was to be accessible to the right, the actual shelter. Hardly any interior components are present, but indications of them exist.

Valuation

The TWO GROUP SHELTERS TYPE P (INCOMPLETE) on Lunette II are of general importance because of:

* Cultural-historical values as part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie as designed by C.R.T. Kraijenhoff and initially from 1815 established 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 building practice, which is based on: a. the system of inundation and access fortification (20th century), b. the race with increasingly powerful offensive means (20th century), c. the system of 'living' field fortification in depth (20th century).

These are two examples of incomplete reinforced concrete troops shelters on a lunette, without roof and interior, from the period 1939-1940.

* Ensemble value and situational values as components of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie. Also because of the functional and physical coherence with the other components of the complex.

* The components are representative (characteristic) of the construction method of such works and because they are clearly recognisable as additions to the existing fortification system. The components are further characteristic because they offer a relatively rare, unobstructed 'insight' into the floor plan and construction of such works.

* The components are - despite being incomplete - reasonably well preserved and can still be well recognised as built elements on the lunette.