Contractors have unearthed an unground bunker that was part of the Atlantic Wall. The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany along the coast of mainland Europe from Scandinavia to the southwest of France in anticipation of an Allied invasion of German occupied Europe. The bunker will not be dug up in its entirety. Archologists will carry out measurements at the bunker before it is partially destroyed to allow a new section of sewer to be laid.
Part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall unearthed during work on the sewers in Knokke-Heist
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The discovery was made on the Het Binnenhof, a street in the West Flemish coastal municipality of Knokke-Heist. Work is currently underway on the sewers there. The bunker is part of the Atlantic Wall, a defensive line stretching about 5,000 kilometres that was built during the Second World War. The German dictator Adolf Hitler ordered its construction to prevent an invasion by the Allies.
Last year, another Atlantic Wall bunker was also excavated during work on the sewers in Knokke-Heist.
The Alderman responsible for public works in Knokke-Heist Jan Morbee told VRT News that "We were almost 99% sure that there was a bunker there under the road surface at Het Binnenhof".
"We had noticed it on some maps, so we were prepared. Unfortunately, we cannot keep the bunker. It is technically not feasible to tear it down completely so part of it will remain."
The bunker will now be measured by a team of archaeologists and partially demolished so that the sewage system can be laid at a depth of 4.35 metres.