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In
May 2006, the project „Grebbeberg linie resurrected” started as a tourism
and recreational stimulation for the region. Several activities were launched like
canoeing in parts of the old water defence line, developing walking and cycling
routes on and beside the line. Small historical „museums” were raised
and nearby restaurants started offering a Grebbelinie meal.
Tourism accommodations like „linie huts” were designed and constructed.
The most important work of the project was and is to reconstruct the defence line with its dikes, inundation works, fortresses, trenches, casemates, etc. These are the basic things for renovation of the historical tourism object „Grebbelinie” in the middle of the Netherlands.
Old maps were studied and military, municipal and state archives visited. People who were actively involved in the May days of 1940 were interviewed.
In this way a good overview was obtained to make true reconstructions of the dikes, sluices, fortresses, bunkers, casemates, canals and trenches as they looked like during the centuries and especially in the Second World War.
The rebuilding works are still going on. Also the fortress „Fort aan de Buurtsteeg”, that is crossed in the middle by the railway Utrecht-Oberhausen, will be reconstructed. The reconstruction will be financed by the provinces, municipalities, state NGO’s and, if possible, partly by the EU funding.
Cars are now running over a part of the fortress, crossing the railways, so the road on which they are driving now, has to be rerouted. There are also plans to construct a visitor’s centre, bridging the railway and being an observation point for whole rebuilt fortress. This centre has to play an important role in educating/informing adults and schoolchildren about the Grebbelinie. Four other small information centres will be raised and constructed alongside the line. Some are replacing the existing little private „museums”.
Very important is to make the defence line reachable for all kinds of visitor groups. Entrance roads and bridges in the old military sober architecture have to be (re)constructed. Parking places for cars and bikes are essential. Public transport has to be arranged.
Besides, quays have to be constructed for mooring canoes, rowing boats, water bikes and roundabout boats in the revived water defence canals and works.
Handicapped people should have entrance to some of the most interesting parts of the defence line and in any case to the information centres. This means that, at the beginning of the reconstruction works and building of the information centres, this has to be taken in account, as far as possible, of course.
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2.1.2. EU Importance | 2.1.4. Project Management |
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