Schuilplaats H Fort De Bilt

Schuilplaats H Fort De Bilt stands within Fort De Bilt, east of Utrecht, surrounded by trees and partly hidden from view. The fortress formed part of the New Dutch Waterline, built around 1820 to defend the Netherlands against invasion. Earthen ramparts, timber reinforcements, and later brick buildings shaped this military landscape. Thick walls and heavy earth-covered roofs were designed to resist artillery fire.

The fort’s defensive role changed as roads and urban development altered its surroundings. Construction of the Berekuil roundabout in 1929 and 1930 led to the demolition of the inner redoubt. Original barracks remain visible on both sides of the road, with the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee using one section and Pro Demos using the other. The Kringenwet of 1853 also kept construction beyond 300 metres until its formal repeal in 1951.

During the Second World War, German occupiers used Fort De Bilt as an execution site. On 30 April 1945, resistance members including Henk Boender were executed here, shortly before Utrecht’s liberation. From 1945 until autumn 1946, the fort held women who had belonged to the NSB. Today, the national monument preserves auxiliary barracks and other traces of a layered military history.