The largest battle of the Dutch army in WWII took place on Grebbeberg Hill. Here poorly armed and untrained men held their ground against a very powerful and ruthless opponent for three days. Grebbeberg Military Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 800 soldiers and 1 citizen who perished here in the Second World War. It is located on Grebbeberg Hill at Rhenen, and was a battlefield of just a few square kilometres, but is full of stories of the courage of desperation in the Netherlands.
The information centre, with an exhibition about the events on Grebbeberg Hill during “The Battle for Grebbeberg Hill” in May 1940, is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Grebbeweg 123
3911 AV Rhenen
Muiden
Muiden
The best way to experience the convivial fortified city of Muiden is to take a stroll by the harbour with its many traditional sailing boats or to settle down at an outdoor café with a view of the Groote Zeesluis. Alternatively, you can explore the fort island of Pampus or visit the centuries-old Amsterdam Castle Muiderslot. Along with Naarden and Weesp, the fortified city of Muiden played an important role. Muiden closed off the Zeedijk dyke and protected the sea and inundation locks of the Vecht. Fort C, also popularly known as ‘the Muizenfort’, has a small museum about the New Dutch Waterline and the Defence Line of Amsterdam.
In 1815, a fan lock was built into the Lekdijk near Goilberdingen for inundation purposes. It was protected by an earthen battery. In 1848, the battery was upgraded to a fort. Later on, the inundation system was optimised, and four bomb-proof buildings were added to the fort. In peacetime, the road on top of the dyke ran right through the fort, but traffic was led around the fort in times of mobilisation. In 1939, seven concrete shelters and two machine gun casemates were added. An unusual feature is the high free-standing wall in a field to the south of the fort. This was the stop butt of a German firing range.