Make way for the wall

Because of the construction of the Atlantic Wall, the German occupying forces ordered the demolition of the hundreds of houses and warehouses on the west side of the Fortress of Hellevoetsluis in September 1943. It heralded the end of an era: the former brothels on the Hoofdwachtstraat, the stately buildings along the Westkade, the famous Hotel van Engelen, the slums in the Peperstraat and the shops in the Molenstraat disappeared under the demolition hammer. Hellevoetsluis lost a lot in a short time: the residents left for elsewhere and the tangible memories of the maritime past were smashed into a desolate plain full of rubble.