Location-data

Holland, Zuid Holland, Gouda, Cold War (2)

Gouda
Cold War, BB-bunker, Kring Zuid-Holland.

This former BB-bunker is located at the Goejanverwelledijk, just behind the cemetery.
It was built for the civil defense organization "Bescherming Bevolking" (BB) around 1960. In 1990 the "cold war" was over and the use of bunkers for the civil defense was gone. The bunker was handed over to the Regional Fire Service to maintain a reserve radio dispatch-centre for communication with the vehicles and personal in the region in case the normal radio central was out of order. They used it also to give lessons for fire fighters in the region.
After the fire brigade left the bunker, a driving-school used the place for some time and now in 2005 the municipality took over the place.

Above-ground it looks like a normal building for any purpose, but the big antenna at the backside on the roof gives the place something special. It is not the original mast anymore, because all the equipment for cell phone connections made it necessary to place a heavier one. On the ground level there are some offices situated for municipality workers, storage rooms and maintenance rooms.
Underground: after you go down about 4 meters and pass the "gas and radiation lock", you enter the bunker.
There is still a lot of original equipment in the bunker and some parts are still being used today.
Today they use the rooms to give training lessons to the municipally workers.

Type:
1x bunker ± 15 x 20 meters

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1
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45 min
+++
+++
4/2005
BP

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Gouda
Cold War, Prins Willem Alexander military barracks.

In Gouda you can find a military complex at the Groen van Prinsterlaan, the Prins Willem Alexander barracks (PWA) .

A part of the complex is being demolished (9/2006), but the ground floor will be kept in function. This part is the former "atomic bunker" which had to protect the former National Territorial Command Center during the Cold War. After this period it became the command center for several other military units.

The building was constructed in 1968 for about 100 persons with 50 beds and kept in use till the first Golf War in 1991. It was used during NATO exercises for moving troops in and out of Germany and during the first Golf War through the harbour of Rotterdam. After that, the bunker was put out of active use. It is situated on ground level, maybe because the ground in Gouda is very wet and soft and an underground construction was too expensive. On top of the bunker were normal offices situated.
The bunker itself was formed like an office; long corridors with lots of rooms for staff units, communications, safety and other tasks. Of course there where sleeping rooms, toilets and other facilities available. In one of the rooms, you see it on the pictures, there are big movable map-boards visible.

1x bunker ± 58 x 38 meters

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++++
1
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30 min
No
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10/2006
BP