Foundation

The Hellevoetsluis Defence Works Foundation was established on 22 April 2009.

Statutory name: Stichting Defensieswerken Hellevoetsluis.

Postal address:
P.O. Box 235
3220 AE Hellevoetsluis

Visit address:
Plein Fort Haerlem 1
3221 WB Hellevoetsluis

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 06 31 25 49 09

RSIN: 8207.05.366
Chamber of Commerce: 24459276
The foundation is non-profit, so we do not have a VAT number.
 

Board composition:

The board and all members of the foundation are volunteers and do not receive any remuneration for this.
Costs incurred for the benefit of the foundation will be reimbursed.

Financial accountability:

Balance sheet 2023 / Income and expenses 2023
 

Objective / Policy plan:

The goal of our foundation is to familiarize as many interested people as possible with the rich and special military history of Hellevoetsluis and its immediate surroundings.

We do this by organizing activities that raise awareness among interested parties. These activities are aimed at adults, but also at children and can take many forms such as:

• Tours
• Opening up visitor area
• Scavenger hunts for children
• Lectures
• etc.

We also work together with partners within the fortress of Hellevoetsluis and in particular the other museums. Through promotion through various channels, we bring our activities to the attention of the largest possible audience.

We are also working on deepening the military history of Hellevoetsluis and its surroundings. Much is still unclear. Through archival research, we try to clarify as many of these gaps as possible.

By sharing knowledge with volunteers, we ensure that what has become known through research is made known.

Donations are tax deductible

We have been designated by the tax authorities as an ANBI (Public Benefit Institution). This means that donations to our foundation are tax deductible.

 



History of the foundation

Hellevoetsluis has a rich history, despite its relatively short existence of four centuries. Started as a drainage canal for the polder water, Hellevoetsluis has grown into an important naval port of Holland with a defense that was unique in the Low Countries. Many of the defenses are still intact.

Since 1997, a number of enthusiastic volunteers have been giving tours in the Haerlem barracks and in the rest of the coastal battery in the front I-II (southwestern part of the fortress) in Hellevoetsluis. Many hundreds of visitors have already been received, especially on the Heritage Days. In addition to the tours, drawings and photos are also shown.
The year 2008 was set in the theme of the First World War by the museum platform, a special period for Hellevoetsluis as well. In 2008, there was a clear increase in the number of guided tours.

Partly because of this, a group of people has arisen who wanted more than was happening.

Over the years, material has been collected from national archives and from privately owned books, which has resulted in a lot of knowledge about the area. This material is a source of information for the guides, allowing them to tell a lot about the reason and function of the works in the front I-II.

'Territory'

In the "Redevelopment Plan Fortress Hellevoetsluis" with subtitle "Valuation" of March 2005 (drawn up on behalf of the municipality of Hellevoetsluis), the "Fortress wall in a state of defence" is indicated as the area formed by the front I-II and the Courtine between front I-II and the Coninx bulwark up to the west bear.
Because from a military historical point of view the front I-II is the most interesting, most attention will be paid to it.

This does not alter the fact that the rest of the defense of Hellevoetsluis is also interesting to gain knowledge about. All the more so since the coastal battery cannot exist outside the context of which it is a part.

Front language

The name of the site is different from the official name of the foundation. This was a conscious choice. The name of the foundation indicates what it stands for, on the other hand, that name is too long to type in a browser.

Fronttaal stems from "the language of the front" with which the foundation emphasizes its military-historical objective.

For more information about the functioning of the foundation, please send a message to [email protected].