Mysterious construction in the Rucphense forests: do you know what it is?

1/2 The abandoned concrete construction in the Rucphense forests

Who will unravel the story behind the mysterious building in the Rucphense Bos? A concrete column has stood in the middle of nature for decades. But no one seems to know what it is for yet. There is a lot of speculation on social media about what it could be.

Profile photo of Erik Peeters

From a sandy path behind Camping De Posthoorn, you have to search for a while before you have found the spot. The colossus is 3.5 meters high and appears to be standing in a kind of crater. At the ‘front’ are rusted metal parts that resemble the remains of a ladder.

“I have no idea what it is,” says a passing walker from Roosendaal. “I regularly walk my dogs here, but I don’t know what that thing was for. You used to see it better, but now it is completely hidden between the fallen trees.”

Metal parts on the concrete column
Metal parts on the concrete column

There is no doubt that the thing has been there for a long time: the weather has clearly had a hold on the reinforced concrete that has crumbled here and there over the years. If you look very closely, you can see that part of the construction is probably also hidden under the ground.

German World War II Shooting Range

Opinions differ on the function on Facebook: it could be a remnant of a German firing range from the Second World War. Or a place where ammunition is tested and also called a groundwater measurement installation.

Wilma and Rita think the colossus was used for dog training. Corrie and Thijs, on the other hand, are sure that the structure served as a toilet. Finally, Kees jokingly refers to a ‘letter box for the tax authorities’.

But what is it really? If you think you know, you can email it to us at [email protected].

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