Bunker 599

Bunker 599, located along the Diefdijk in the Netherlands, is a great example of how to do something new with an old military building. It was originally built in 1940 as a Group Shelter Type P, and was part of the New Dutch Waterline (Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie), a defensive system designed to protect the main regions of Holland by flooding large areas to stop the enemy getting in.

Back in 2010, the Dutch design firms RAAAF and Atelier de Lyon gave it a radical makeover. They used diamond wire saws to slice a one-metre-wide segment from the centre of the bunker, effectively splitting the seemingly indestructible concrete structure in two. It took four weeks to do this, and now visitors can see inside the bunker. It was originally built to shelter up to 13 soldiers, so it's got quite a story to tell.

There's a staircase that leads down from the dike to a pathway that goes through the cut bunker and over a water feature that's been constructed. This design is all about the New Dutch Waterline's strategy of flooding the area, with poles along the path showing the expected water levels for defensive measures.

The project is shaking up the usual ideas of how we preserve cultural heritage, turning a historical military bunker into something the public can enjoy. It's a cool way to think about the past while enjoying the landscape today. It's interesting to note that despite its initial status as a municipal monument, Bunker 599 has now been elevated to the level of a national monument (Rijksmonument).