The stories of the soldiers who died at the Battle of the Scheldt get a new meaning The visitor center in Bergen op Zoom. Starting next week, the construction of the center will start next to the military. This makes a long -held dream reality for the initiators.
“I am happy for Bergen op Zoom and the future visitors,” said Giel Janssen, chairman of the Military Fields Bergen op Zoom visitor center. Board member Hans Stumpel appeals to him. “I have been involved in it for eight years. It is of course fantastic that the efforts have not been for nothing.”
The visitor center comes in an open space between the British and Canadian war cemeteries on the Ruytershoveweg. Natural materials are used as much as possible, so that the building merges into the environment. On both sides, large windows come across the entire width so that visitors can make ‘the connection’ from outside with inside.
“The great thing is that from the start of the Beukenlaan you will be taken into the experience. When you walk the path, you see the reflection of yourself on the building getting closer. As a result, you become part of the whole. That is really very beautifully conceived by the architect,” said Janssen.
“I am happy that we can also realize this in Bergen op Zoom for the young people.”
More than 2400 are mainly buried British and Canadian soldiers in the military. They died during the military operation in which the Allies fought around the port of Antwerp and access to the Scheldtemonding. The Battle of the Scheldt has always remained underexposed. Yet it was the largest military operation during the Second World War in the Netherlands.
“I was trained as a geography and history teacher,” says Janssen. And even during my studies, hardly any attention was paid to it. What always strikes me is that that knowledge in Canada is much greater. Both for the elderly and the current generation. It lives much more there than here. I am happy that we can also realize this in Bergen op Zoom for the young people. “
According to chairman Janssen, it is therefore important that the visitor center not only becomes a place for education but also a place for discussion about the values of freedom and the importance of continuing to work on this. “I also see this as honorary debt to the boys who have given our lives here for us,” he says with emotion in his voice.
Inside, images on a large screen will soon tell the history of the Battle of the Scheldt. In a ‘classroom’, war veterans of different generations share their experiences in interactive recordings. There is also a space with computers from the Faces to Graves Foundation. This organization collects and writes the life stories of the soldiers who are buried at the war cemetery. The curve in the heart of the building will be a place for reflection.
Extra hands
“We are still looking for volunteers who want to help with exploitation,” says Hans Stumpel. Everyone who can help with the management, cleaning work, guided tours or just pouring a coffee is welcome according to the board member. “Admission is free and that is why we would be happy if companies from the area would like to sponsor us,” adds chairman Janssen.
The costs of the visitor center are estimated at 2.4 million euros. The three municipalities Bergen op Zoom, Steenbergen, Woensdrecht and the province of Brabant contribute to this to a large extent. The intention is that the visitor center will be opened in the course of 2026.